Boozy Bananas with Spiced Chocolate Sauce

Another way to spiffy up bananas.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
Chocolate Sauce
3/8 cup heavy whipping cream
3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Bananas
2-3 small bananas
1 1/2 tbsp. butter or buttery spread
1 1/2 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. rum
1/2 tbsp. tequila

Ice cream

Method:
1. Make the chocolate sauce by combining the cream, chocolate, cinnamon, and cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Stir in the vanilla and remove from the heat. The sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead. Just cover and refrigerate it until ready to use.

2. Cut the bananas crosswise in half. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Increase the heat to high and add the bananas and brown sugar. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bananas are soft and the sugar has created a syrupy sauce. Add the rum and tequila and boil 1-2 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3. Scoop ice cream into bowls and surround it with the banana mixture. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce and enjoy immediately.

Reference:
Banana Sundaes with Mexican Chocolate Sauce from the August/September 2001 issue of Cooking Pleasures.

Citrusy Carrots with Ginger Ale and Honey

These are the fantastic carrots referenced in the chickpea patties post.

Quick pause for an advert: Reed's make fabulous ginger beer :) I highly recommend it if you're looking for a high-fructose corn syrup-free soda. The only disappointment is their stuff has honey so it's not vegan.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:
1/2 pound carrots, sliced
1/2 cup ginger ale (pref. HFCS-free)
1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 orange
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 F.

1. Steam or boil the carrots for 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain. Pour the ginger ale, honey, ginger, zests, orange juice, and lemon juice over the carrots. Bring this mixture to a boil and then transfer everything to an oven-safe dish.

2. Bake for about 35 minutes until the liquid reduces. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reference:
Ginger Ale and Honey Braised Carrot Coins from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook.

My Changes:
*Steamed carrots prior to baking.
*Added lemon zest.

Chickpea Patties

In case you haven't noticed, I'm not one for fake meat. I'm actually not even sure I understand why other vegetarians/vegans go for processed meat substitutes. We gave up meat.. why on earth would we want to eat that?
Besides, have you ever read the ingredient list on one of those packages? They read like the contents of a cupboard in a science lab. I'm all for science and progress, just not in my food!
Not wanting to eat hydrolyzed whatever, I prefer to make stuff from ingredients with names I can pronounce. I think this may just be a new favourite in the realm of meat substitutes.

I actually had this while DH was having oven-fried chicken. We had the same sides (potatoes mashed with goat cheese and some lovely carrots - entry coming soon). Our plates looked very similar :) Unfortunately, I was starving by the time I was done cooking and completely forgot to take a photo... I was also going to make a mustard sauce to go with these. Can we say brain fart?
(I own 3 cameras... you'd think I'd be better at taking blog photos...)

Serves 4 (1 cutlet each)

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup panko
1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. dried sage
Extra oil for frying

Method:
1. Give the chickpeas a spin in the blender or food processor until they are mashed and no whole chickpeas remain. Transfer the smushed beans to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Knead with your hands for 3-4 minutes until strings of gluten have formed (i.e.: it all starts to stick together and it becomes "elastic" when pulled apart).

2. Heat the frying oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. While the oil heats up, form the chickpea mixture into 4 cutlets by flattening and stretching them. Place the cutlets into the skillet and cook 6-7 minutes on each side until lightly browned (turn once).

Reference:
Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon.

Orange Muffins - Two Ways

I recently got some crystallised ginger to make some Grasmere gingerbread but have been experimenting with using it in other recipes. It worked really well in these new twists on a muffin favourite of mine.

There are two sets of ingredients but the method section is the same.
Each set of ingredients yields 12 muffins.

These are great served warm.

Orange-Cranberry-Ginger Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup crystallised ginger, chopped
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple-sauce or canola oil
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 banana, well mashed or 2 eggs
Cooking spray
1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

Orange-Ginger Muffins

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup crystallised ginger, chopped
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup apple-sauce or canola oil
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 banana, well mashed or 2 eggs
Cooking spray
1 tbsp. turbinado sugar

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line a muffin tin with unbleached paper liners.

2. Combine flour and the ingredients up to nutmeg in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in the center of the mixture.

3. Combine brown sugar, oil or applesauce, orange rind, juice, and eggs in a separate bowl; stir with a whisk.

4. Add the juice mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Spoon batter into the muffin cups. Sprinkle the batter with turbinado sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Reference:
Based on Orange-Cranberry Wheat Germ Muffins from the January/February 2008 issue of Cooking Light.

My Changes:
*Used crystallised ginger in place of some or all of the dried cranberries.
*Replaced half of the cinnamon in the orange-ginger version with ground ginger.

Avocado-Tomato Rotelle

I love it when avocados are cheap ;)

This has a great, almost no-cook sauce. In fact, I bet this would make a fantastic pasta salad.

Works well as a quick lunch or dinner.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 oz. rotelle (wheel-shaped pasta)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 large avocado, diced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain.

2. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and then cook the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook 5 minutes or until warmed through.

3. Toss the tomato mixture with the pasta and then add the avocado and basil. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

Reference:
Avocado-Tomato Rotelle from the July 2006 issue of Cooking Pleasures.

Avocado-Tomato Stack

I've made the dressing for this two different ways so I'll include both.

Avocado-Tomato Stack with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp. sour cream or plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp. lime zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. ground cumin
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
1 small avocado
Freshly ground black pepper

Avocado-Tomato Stack with Lemon-Basil Dressing
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp. sour cream or plain yoghurt
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
Dash of crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, very thinly sliced
1 small avocado
Freshly ground black pepper

The method is the same for either dressing.
Method:
1. Make buttermilk by combining the milk plus the lemon juice or vinegar. Mix and then let this stand for 10 minutes. To make the dressing, add the buttermilk plus the next seven ingredients (through red pepper flakes) to the bowl of a food processor. Process 30 seconds or until well blended. Cover and chill.

2. Layer 1 tomato slice on each of 4 plates. Top each piece with a little red onion and some avocado. Repeat these layers three times, ending with avocado. Drizzle each stack with dressing and sprinkle with additional black pepper, if desired.

Reference:
Based on Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Stack from the June 2008 issue of Cooking Light.

My Changes:
*DIY buttermilk.
*Used additional sour cream in place of mayonnaise.
*Used full-fat sour cream (not low-fat).
*The lemon-basil dressing idea was suggested as a variation in the original recipe. However, when I tried it, I added in the oregano in place of the cumin called for in the cilantro-lime/original version.
*Used regular vine-ripened tomatoes (in this economy, you use what you have!) Would like to try it with fancier heirloom ones, though. :)

Dinner-Lady Carrots

I love Jamie Oliver. He speaks my language. ;)
The name of this recipe made me giggle but I feel a need to do a little translation so you're not thinking "what the heck is a dinner lady and why is she being included in these carrots?"
"Dinner" is what the English call lunch (in the part of England I'm from, we refer to the evening meal as "tea" not to be confused with the drink).
A "dinner lady," then, is what English school children call a school cafeteria worker.
Apparently Jamie Oliver saw a group of dinner ladies making carrots this way (sans wine, of course!) and that's how they got their name.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 lb 10 oz carrots (~2 cups), peeled and thinly sliced
1 tbsp. non-dairy, non-hydrogenated spread
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
The zest and juice of 1 orange
A handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
A small wineglass of white wine
3/4 cup vegetable broth

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a baking dish non-stick spray or rub it with some canola oil or buttery spread.
Steam or boil the carrots until crisp-tender.

2. Mix the garlic with the orange zest, parsley, and oregano. Scatter a bit of this over the oiled dish. Add a layer of carrots to the dish along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Drizzle the layer of carrots with olive oil and then sprinkle with some of the parsley-zest mixture. Continue these steps until you run out of carrots.

3. Pour in the orange juice, wine, and enough broth to cover the carrots. Lay a sheet of wax paper over the carrots (tuck in the edges). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.

Reference:
Dinner-Lady Carrots from Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver.

My Changes:
*Giving the carrots a quick steam prior to layering and baking them. When I made them without this step they refused to soften up!
*I added a bit of dried oregano.
*Used Earth Balance in place of butter to make a vegan version of the recipe.