’tis the season

lori,

been a while since the last updated but i decided this morning, i am addressing all blog entries to you because i don’t care if anyone else is reading this. i am still so proud of you for making those cookies! i know the recipe yields a million cookies but when they’re all done (i hope they’re in the fridge! so good that way, trust me), you should try your hand at these carrot-ginger cupcakes. i made them this morning and they were a hit at work! the recipe is originally martha stewart so she makes them look really nice, etc, which i’ll never do – presentation is irrelevant when yr scarfin’ – but the taste is all there.  ‘total yummo’ as my mom would say.  i put little notes where i thought you might need some explanation, hope it helps.

carrot-ginger cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

• 2/3 cup (2 ounces) pecan halves
• 6 carrots (about 7 1/2 ounces), peeled (i hope you have the peeler from the csa! you’ll need it for the carrots and the ginger. you’ll also need a grater that can grate finely – if you have a box grater, the smaller side is fine)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (i hate buying things like this because i’ll never use them again. good substitutes for buttermilk are a-plenty but i think the best for this is a scant 1/4 cup of yogurt – i used 2% greek yogurt – with a little warm water mixed in to thin it out to buttermilk consistency)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• orange-ginger frosting

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan. Transfer to oven, and roast until toasted and brown, about 8 minutes. Give the pan a shake midway through roasting to make sure they roast evenly. Remove pan from oven, and let stand until completely cool. Finely chop pecans, and set aside. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
2. Using the smallest holes (less than 1/4-inch in diameter) of a box grater, grate carrots to yield 1 3/4 cups (I have a smaller, non-box grater and this took a long time, just to warn you if you’re in the same boat. watch those knuckles!). Place grated carrots, eggs, buttermilk (or yogurt, if you’re subbing), vanilla, sugar, vegetable oil, and ginger in a large bowl; whisk until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the carrot mixture until just combined. Fold in toasted pecans.
4. Using a large metal spoon, fill each cupcake to the top of the paper liner. Bake until a cake tester (i used a toothpick. cake tester? cmon martha. let’s talk to the layperson here) comes out clean, rotating the pan halfway through, 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Spread about 1/ 4 cup frosting on each cupcake and serve. Store in an airtight container up to two days.

For the frosting:

Makes about 3 cups (this ending up being so much for 12 cupcakes, always is. i might half the recipe next time. a lot of people don’t like cream cheese frosting so i didn’t frost these until i served them because they are kinda like delicious muffins without the frosting.)

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (half a stick)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (so messy! 7 hours later i just realized i have confectioner’s sugar all over my shoes)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (you’ll need a fine grater for this too. get an orange with a nice firm peel.)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar, beat until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add orange zest, grated ginger, and salt. Beat an additional 5 minutes. (oh, lori! electric mixer. even i dont have one of those.  at room temperate, these things are kind of easy to mix by hand.  i’ll admit i microwaved the cream cheese for just 10 seconds.  mixing my hand means a less fluffy consistency but you creamed together butter and sugar, you can cream this together, too! my frosting tasted just as good as i wanted but is a little thinner than martha’s i’m sure.  no one even noticed as they gulped ‘em down in one bite!)

that’s it.  except for grating a million carrots with a shitty grater, these were super easy and well worth it.  got me a free pass for being 90 minutes late to work, that’s for sure!

next up, something savory.  i’ve been cooking so much. i wish you lived next door.

always,

julia

tempeh club.

i’ve been non-stop talking about this recipe lately. in an effort to eat less tofu (i havent bought any in forever! havent eaten any in at least a couple of weeks), i’ve been eating a little more tempeh and talking about it alllllll the time because that is what i do when i even remotely like something. super easy to make so i’m posting this for matt who hates cooking but loves tempeh:

Quinoa salad with tempeh (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa (about 1 cup raw – Matt, this is super cheap in the bulk/grain aisle of whole foods)
3 tbsp peanut, canola, or other neutral oil
4 oz tempeh, crumbled
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tbsp slivered garlic
1 cup mung bean sprouts (optional, recommended)
1 tomato, chopped (optional, recommended)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce, to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallion for garnish
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves for garnish (EW, do not want.)

1. Cook the quinoa. Drain in a strainer, if necessary, and rinse. (Matt – quinoa is like rice but so much easier if you haven’t made it before.  1 cup raw tempeh needs 2 cups of water. bring to a boil in a saucepan, then cover, lower the heat, and let cook at a low temp for 12-15 minutes until water is absorbed and you can see the little curly q’s in each piece of quinoa.)

2. Meanwhile, put the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tempeh and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for another minutes or two, then add the bean sprouts and tomato, stir, and turn off the heat. Stir in the vinegar, sesame oil, and soy sauce and transfer to a bowl.

3. When the quinoa is cooled, toss it with the tempeh mixture. Taste and add salt if necessary (I put a dash of soy instead of salt) and a healthy sprinkling of black pepper. Garnish with scallion and think of how gross cilantro is and how you’re so happy you didn’t put it on the delicious food you just made.

“This salad has tofu, snow peas, ginger and garlic!”

oh, lori. matt is bugging me about making him tofu salad so i’m posting the recipe here so that when you’re out of kale and fennel and green beans, you can try making it together. maybe you’ll get red cabbage soon! the weirdo who posted the recipe posted a headline with it (see: subject of post) that i laughed at. it’s not a movie; it’s a salad.

Tofu Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce *you can use sweet chili sauce or any other sweet + spicy sauce like this. i mixed a polynesian sauce with sriracha so just see what’s available at the store*
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce *dark or regs, all the same to me*
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 (16 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained and diced
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed *trim off ends and cut each snow pea into approx three pieces*
• 2 small carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage
• 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix the chili sauce, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Place tofu in the mixture, and marinate 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Immerse the snow peas in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, then immerse in a a bowl of cold water. Drain, and set aside.
3. Toss the peas, carrots, cabbage, and peanuts with the tofu and marinade to serve.

this recipe is super easy. the chopping usually takes more time than anything and it doesn’t have to be perfect. just in bite size pieces.  once you make it, you’ll get the hang of it for future attempts. super great for lunch! while matt is having his fancy takeout lunches, you can have your fancy homemade lunches.

it is easy being green.

lori! last post for the day. sorry to bombard you all at once with recipes but you know i’m bad at updating. easiest and best way to cook those green beans since you and matt love chinese food:

take a tbsp of olive oil and heat it up in a small skillet. when oil is hot, sautee a tsp or so of both fresh chopped garlic and fresh peeled and chopped/grated ginger.  cook em up a lil bit, then throw in a tbsp of soy and the green beans in (this recipe is prob for a cup of beans, so adjust ingredients if you’re making more).  cut the green beans into smaller pieces if you want – not necessary. top with toasted sesame seeds! (to toast yr sesame seeds, just throw a handful on yr baking tray in the toaster over for a min or two. don’t let em burn!!)

and try this…since you’ll have mustard on hand.

easy receep for fennel, tomato, watercress salad. haven’t tried to make it ever, i’m iffy on fennel, but seems easy enough. might sub the watercress for arugula but that’s a personal preference.

spicy brown + sweey honey forever

lori, aka sweet honey, is my mustard cohort. she understands and supports my obsession with mustard like no one else does. she got her first food delivery today and in it was kale! so here’s a great recipe for her to try out. the mixture of kale, sweet potato, mustard, and lime works super well and the recipe is super easy. will require some chopping, lori!, but not too much. i don’t think you need as much oil to cook the kale as the recipe calls for but frying the mustardy tofu in oil rather than cooking spray makes it extra delish.

proofs in the puddin’

i’m not knocking her cooking but c’mon, check out the slideshow.

for lori

101cookbooks trolling.  i saw these and thought of my friend lori for so many reasons.  the recipe is super simple and you dont have to cut or peel anything! that is my lori’s type of recipe. recipe lori seems like she would cut or peel anything she wanted by my lori does not like sharp objects near her hands or anywhere else.  and the photos! a cabin. lori would go to a cabin with me and bring flip-flops (n.b. matt would not). she would not like the taxidermy (i would) but she would love eating brunch with me at the cabin, i bet.  not much too it but nothing beats a really crisp potato on hangover sunday.  chives are definitely a good way to go. you could put anything on these potatoes!  maybe sautee some onions and sprinkle em on top of the taters?

lori! make these and let me know how it goes.

post-hummus report: all about sprouts

oh man, oh man. there is something in the air, lemme tell you! everyone i know is on a major brussels kick! it’s all anyone talks about lately, riiiiiight? knowudimsayin? the simplicity of brussels with garlic and olive oil (maybe some parm if yr feelin it) is always delicious but my new obsession is a recipe from 101cookbooks. i have made this twice in the last week – super simple and so delish.  the mixture of caramelized tofu, pecans, garlic, and brussels is nearly unstoppable. my coworkers keep wondering what sorta stinky green lunch i am eating but who cares! i am in heaven while they are probably eating tuna fish salad sandwich.  the whole thing takes about 10m and a few dollars to make but tastes like a million bucks!

the photo on 101cookbooks looks WAY better than my food so just look there.  next up, japanese pizza as recommended by the sis! and the walnut soba recipe they just put up looks decadent but delish. i’ve been craving soba lately but been avoiding the market/bumbling stalkery cashier lately. might have to go in disguise.

EDIT: running list of people i learned are so into brussel sprouts in the last week because i wont stop discussing them:

-foodie/co-op starter megan

-sarah j

-my sister

-meat-loving co-worker

-this boy i am totally hmm “monitoring” who i probably get to see a bunch this weekend! will i talk to him about sprouts? maybs.

-kbaun

who else! are you on the list or what?

post-hummus report: wetham and lorrito’s visit

many weeks back, i had the distinct pleasure of havign wetham and lorrito visit me in philadelphia for the day.  having some requests in mind (pumpkin cookies; limited amounts of cheese; satisfying wetham’s mysterious yet lazy inclination towards mushrooms), i thought of the following meal:

white bean and kale soup

tofu salad

homemade veggie burgers

pumpkin cranberry cookies

well! what a hit this menu was. the tofu salad was a surprising winner as it was all munched up. half a block of tofu marinated in polynesia chili sauce, soy, ginger, and garlic. tossed with red cabbage, blanched snowpeas, and carrots then topped with crushed peanuts. super easy and super delicious. there were seconds and thirds taken!

wetham commented that despite his distaste for tasting beans, he scooped em all up in the soup because it was that delicious. the burgers are my fave (v delicioso in my hungry opinion), but the recipe makes so much and i am so irritated by halfsies most of the time that it’s usually a party food in my kitchen. no pics because lorrito was too busy eating and my camera had been on for two weeks straight (thus sleeping at the time of said meal) so you’ll just have to imagine how delicious everything was. my only regret is that i did not put little pajamas in a chef hat! next time.

lori and i ate some secret cookies while matt went back to the mid-90s and they were an excellent dessert, possibly my favorite cookies ever. word on the street is that the chinatown bus driver really liked the cookies as well.