Miso Tahini Soup

I bought miso paste for the first time in the spring of 2013. I didn't like miso soup but I'd read great things about the nutritional value of miso and I wanted to like it. The health-food store on the next block from us only ended up having red miso, as opposed to the white miso called for by the recipe I was using. Even though red miso is stronger than white (and therefore potentially harder to get used to) I really wanted to make the dish and bought it anyway.

I've made a bunch of dishes with miso since then but this Miso Tahini Soup is the first time I really enjoyed the taste. Coincidentally, I also used up the last of that first container of red miso. I want to try white or yellow miso next, although I'm happy we got used to the stronger taste of red.

The original recipe calls for delicata squash but since it's not available this time of year I used acorn squash. Other than that I didn't alter anything so going to the original recipe on 101 Cookbooks is perfect.

Small But Mighty

My friend Jess says that everyone should marry a woodworker and here is the proof. Here are the before and after shots of our small but mighty kitchen. I am thrilled with how it turned out.
















Matt originally built the cabinets for our previous apartment in Bayonne, where we had them under a large butcher block kitchen island. The wood for the cabinets all came from plywood scraps from his shop at work. 

For this (much smaller) space he built a new counter top to go over the cabinets, fitting it to match the curve in the wall on the end closest to the window. We got the wood for the countertop for less than $20 through a great Craigslist find.

We focused on making the best use of our wall space in the kitchen. Matt built the narrow shelves on the walls to hold our jars of rices, nuts, seeds, etc., and the lid tree. The magnetic strips to hold measuring devices were an easy order from Amazon ($10 each) and the cast iron piece that the pots hang from is something Matt's parents had for almost 30 years before he started using it about 7 years ago. Matt made the knife block last Christmas out of scraps.

We extended the countertop past the cabinets to create more counter space. This also created space to store a small stool that is very nice to have when peeling lots of carrots or potatoes, or when we just want to hang out together while one of us is cooking. 

I love the spice rack Matt built out of scraps. We don't have any counter space next to the stove which means that when I set out ingredients for a dish, everything is out of arms-reach from the stove. The spice rack is easily accessed while cooking and allows me to keep my spices organized. We'd previously been storing our spices in a cabinet so moving the spices to the wall freed up cabinet space (hooray!). I also enjoy the pizza peel's cozy home out of the way behind the heat pipe.

We downsized considerably when we moved to Brooklyn from Bayonne and the kitchen was one area I was worried about. But now that it is complete, I am thrilled with how functional and efficient it is. Even the dishwasher, which is not very good, manages to be quite useful as a drying rack when hand-washing large loads of dishes. 

This is a kitchen that begs to be used and I am happy to be the one to use it!

Pesto Pizza with Flatbread Crust

I got this recipe from Navitas Naturals where they call for it to be a cheese-free pizza. Their resulting bright green pizza looks prettier than mine, but we enjoy cheese too much to leave it out. The next time I make this I'm going to make 2 so that we have some leftovers.

This is a bit of a snooty pizza with a number of specialized ingredients (hemp seeds, chia seeds, almond milk, brown rice flour) and you also need the use of a food processor. Feel free to substitute items as needed (my own recipe substituted a number of ingredients from the original).

Pesto Pizza with Flatbread Crust (adapted from Navitas Naturals)

Crust

• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbs chia seeds, plus one more held aside
• 1/3 cup almond milk (add a splash more if needed when mixing)
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 mashed black beans
• 1 tsp baking powder

Pesto

• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbs hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2/3 cup spinach, packed
• 2 tbs lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbs olive oil

Toppings

• tomato slices
• cheese

1. For Crust: Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients except the reserved tablespoon of chia seeds and knead into a ball. Let stand for 10 minutes then roll out onto parchment paper while adding/pressing in the remaining chia seeds. Transfer onto pizza stone in oven with pizza peel. (Alternatively, press dough onto a non-stick baking sheet.) Bake for 10 minutes and remove.
2. For Pesto: Place everything except the olive oil into a food processor and process until things are in small pieces. Add oil gradually until fully blended. You may have to scrape down the sides throughout this process.
3. To Assemble: Spread pesto over baked crust, top with tomato slices and cheese. Bake for another 15 minutes. Makes a 12-inch pizza.

Kabocha Squash and Indian Spiced Quinoa

I've made this dish twice. The first time I stuffed kabocha squash halves with the quinoa mixture, the second time I served the quinoa over pureed kabocha squash. The second time I also used some lingering red quinoa we had from a Christmas gift last year and was so excited about it I forgot to add the prunes and balsamic vinegar. You can eat the skin of the kabocha squash, but you don't have to.

Kabocha Squash and Indian Spiced Quinoa (adapted from FitFeat)

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 1 kabocha squash
• 1.5 tbs coconut oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 yellow or red peppers, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 cups broth
• 6 prunes, diced
• 7-10 fresh basil leaves chopped, or 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. If you want to serve the dish as stuffed squash, cut squash in half or in quarters. Scoop out seeds, spray olive oil on a baking sheet and place squash flesh side down on sheet. Bake 30-35 minutes until tender.
3. If you want to serve the quinoa over pureed squash, cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place in baking dish and add 1 inch of water. Bake about 40 minutes until very tender. Set out to cool and then scrape flesh from skin - the flesh should be moist and have a pureed texture. If not, mash with a fork. 
4. In a large pot melt coconut oil and add shallots, red or yellow peppers, garlic, ginger, garam masala, salt, pepper and dried basil (if using). Cook about 5 minutes until vegetables are soft.
5. Add quinoa and stir to mix well. Add broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.
6. When all the liquid is absorbed, mix in prunes and fresh basil (if using).
7. Arrange quinoa as desired with squash and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. 

Eggplant Pizza

These don't win any awards for being pretty but they are very tasty. We had some small white eggplants from a friend's community garden and this was a great way to use up a bunch before they went bad.

Eggplant Pizza

• eggplant - any number, any size
• tomato sauce
• cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil.
2. Slice an eggplant into 1/4" thick rounds. 
3. Lay out eggplant slices on baking sheet and spray with olive oil again. (You might need to use multiple baking sheets depending on the size of your eggplant, or just do this in stages.)
4. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cooked through (but not mushy or falling apart).
5. Add tomato sauce and cheese and bake again just until cheese is melted.

Butternut Squash and Leek Soup

This is my new favorite butternut squash recipe. It's so simple and yet so tasty. We happened to have a pound of bacon in the freezer to cook up and add as a garnish, but this soup stands strong on its own. 

Butternut Squash and Leek Soup (adapted from Meaningful Eats)

• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 leeks chopped (white and light green parts)
• 3 tbs butter or olive oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 5 c broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash pepper
• Optional: bacon

1. Half the squash length-wise, scoop out seeds and place flesh side down in baking dish. Add 1 inch of water to dish and bake at 425 degrees for about 50 minutes, until squash is tender.
2. Set aside to cool, then scoop out flesh.
3. In large pot heat up butter and add leeks. Cook about 5 minutes, then add squash, broth, salt and thyme and bring to boil.
4. Reduce to simmer and let cook another 10 minutes.
5. Puree with your desired method. (My immersion blender died months ago so I used a regular blender and made a mess. Like always.)

Sugar-Free(ish) Pumpkin Muffins

It's pumpkin season for sure. It seems like everyone makes a million pumpkin things in the fall and while the hipster in me wants to stay away from such a mainline cliched thing to do, the foodie in me loves the way pumpkin foods taste and smell. Foodie wins.

This is the second time I've made these muffins and I think I need to make them a third time combining aspects of each attempt. And then a fourth time because they're so yummy and make a convenient take-along snack.

The original recipe calls for 2 cups of oat flour and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. When I made these the first time I thought that 2 cups of oat flour seemed like a lot - I didn't want the muffins to have a slightly rubbery texture. So instead I used 1 cup oat flour, 1 cup brown rice flour and 1/2 cup regular all purpose flour. I loved the resulting texture - very breadlike but without using very much regular wheat flour (we're not big fans of regular wheat flour and are mostly gluten-free, but that's a topic for another post). However, I wrote the recipe down before I made the muffins and I didn't know how they'd turn out, so I just wrote "2.5 cups flour." Unhelpful, Julie.

When I made these the second time, I totally forgot about the oat flour and used 1.5 cups of brown rice flour and 1 cup of all purpose flour. The texture can't even compare - they're a little spongy and definitely not as robust. I will definitely return to the first mixture (and update my recipe card).

The other aspect I messed around with was the sweetener. The original recipe calls for 1 tbs stevia as the sweetener, which I followed in my first attempt. Stevia is an alternative to sugar and it tastes that way. I am not a fan. The muffins were still good and they even grew on me, but I wasn't satisfied. I'm also not sure what I think about stevia. It's being lauded for it's role as a "natural" alternative to sugar, especially for people who need to watch their blood-sugar levels. This is because in being derived from the stevia plant it ends up being a strong sweetener that does not raise blood-sugar levels. However, I've also read that it gets highly processed on it's journey from green leaves to commercial white powder and is therefore not quite as "natural" as the advertisements suggest. I don't feel comfortable using a lot of it in my cooking.

In my second attempt to make these muffins I decided to test something I'd read in Superfood Kitchen: stevia is best used as an enhancement for other sweeteners. Try using less sugar than normal but add a bit of stevia to stretch out the sweetness.

I used 1 tsp coconut sugar + 1/2 tsp stevia for this second batch of muffins and they taste just like I wanted them to. I love that I can use so little sugar (divided among 16 muffins) and yet still have a great tasting snack. Speaking of which, this also helps the muffins get into the snack category instead of being stuck in the dessert realm.

Can I also add one comment on spices? I love them and I think more recipes should make more use of them. But I do not get "Pumpkin Pie Spice." What the heck does that even mean? There are all kinds of varieties of it, and really, it's just a mix of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. I get that it's a convenient way to use a mixture of those spices without having to measure each one out individually. Ok, fine, I enjoy that from time to time. But if you're going to use Pumpkin Pie Spice in your recipe, why would you also call for a teaspoon of cinnamon or 1/2 tsp of nutmeg? Why not just list all the individual spice amount, because clearly the blend isn't cutting it for you. I made up my own spice amounts for the below version of the recipe and it works wonderfully.

Sugar-Free(ish) Pumpkin Muffins (adapted from Sugar-Free Mom)

   Dry

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup regular all purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp coconut or brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp stevia

   Wet

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 can pumpkin (15 oz.)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

   Optional Mix-ins

• nuts
• chocolate chips
• raisins

1. Mix dry. Mix wet. Combine.
2. Grease muffin tins and bake 25-30 minutes at 350. Makes 16 muffins (Matt got to these before the picture was taken).