Kitchen Therapy's Pumpkin Custard sans Dairy

I have made this twice now - and just love the taste and texture. Its wonderful for breakfast, lemme tell you. Super easy to make. This was my first adventure into silken tofu, and I'm a big fan. Because my ramekins are a little bigger (and I have a small oven) 4 of them work pretty well. Although I have to add about 15 to 20 min to the baking time.

From Kitchen Therapy's Blog 

Pumpkin Custard, Hold the Dairy

Adapted from Libbey’s Famous Pumpkin Pie recipe. I ditched the crust, subbed tofu for evaporated milk, and increased the sugar a bit. Evaporated milk has some natural sweetness, tofu does not.

Yield: 6 servings	metric measures
1 cup dark brown sugar	240 gm
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon	3 gm
½ teaspoon ground ginger	1 gm
¼ teaspoon ground cloves	.5 gm
½ teaspoon salt	3 gm
2 large eggs	100 gm
1-15 oz can pure pumpkin	425 gm
1-12 oz package firm silken tofu	350 gm
1/4 cup chopped pecans	30 gm

freshly grated nutmeg, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put dark brown sugar, spices, salt, eggs, pumpkin, and tofu in a blender and process until smooth, about a minute.

Place 6 ramekins in a 9×13 baking pan. Add water to the 9×13 pan, until it comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. This is called a water bath and allows gentle heat to bake the custard. You can bake the custard without it, but it won’t be quite as creamy.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes.

Allow to cool and remove ramekins from the 9×13 pan. Drain the water. Put the ramekins back in the 9×13 pan and cover with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Garnish with chopped pecans and a nutmeg. Enjoy!

Note: you can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.

New Year, New Background, New Resolve

This blog is still the best way I have found to track recipes I like (other than my makeshift recipe box, of course). Soon on the blog - a wonderful vegan pumpkin custard, a spicy red bean and sweet potato stew, and who knows? The joys of steaming green beans? I know, I live on the edge.

M.

p.s. check out www.shabbyblogs.com - that's where the new blog background came from. I LOVE IT. Its actually an html script that is more of a layer than a layout.

Bal Arneson's Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes

I found this recipe a few weeks ago, after reviewing the mass of sweet potatoes I have acquired from the CSA. I love them, don't get me wrong, but I have there are limits to the ways to cook them.

Or I thought there was...

(Madison) Christine and I watched Bal Arneson's show on the Cooking Channel, and I saw this recipe (along with many many other delicious simple Indian-inspired recipes).

Best of all - gluten free! Yes, there is some dairy in the recipe, but very very little sour cream, which can be substituted with a soy equivalent. I did not include the cilantro either as I am not a huge fan. I substituted garam masala with Penzey's Sweet Curry, which was wonderful.

From Bal Arneson's Show Spice Goddess

Bal Arneson's Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes

To see the recipe on the Cooking Channel, click here

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons yogurt
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Directions

Mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl and then add the chickpea flour, garam masala, ginger, salt, cilantro, and yogurt. Mix well and then form into small patties about 2-inches in diameter.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the patties in batches so they have plenty of room to fry. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden and crispy and cooked through.

Opal Basil Lemonade

Handful of Opal Basil leaves (less is okay, more can be too much. 

2 Quarts prepared lemonade (from fresh, concentrate, your call).

 

Puree them in a food processor or blender with a can of lemonade concentrate.  Make the lemonade and steep the pureed leaves for 5-10 minutes.  Then strain it and enjoy!  The bits of leaf become bitter if they are left in the pitcher, but once strained they leave behind a brilliant pink color!

One-Pan Ratatouille

I’ve always wanted to try Ratatouille. But always thought it complicated.

 

Well…

 

Here’s a recipe I will be trying tonight, courtesy of the August 4^th newsletter from my CSA, Blue Moon Farms.

 

One-Pan Ratatouille

One-pan anything is something to strive for, and I love ratatouille.  I’ve always made it by sautéing all the veggies separately and layering them into a baking dish to bake.  A friend introduced me to this method, which is much easier.  Serve over pasta, with crusty bread, or over baked tofu or polenta.  Don’t stick to the quantities listed if you have a different assortment of veggies at home.  Just use what you have!  

 

3  tablespoons  olive oil 

1  onion, peeled and diced  

2  cloves garlic, peeled and minced 

3-4 medium tomatoes, diced 

1  medium eggplant, rinsed and diced 

About 1/2 teaspoon salt 

About 1/4 teaspoon pepper  2 peppers, seeded and diced 

1 Medium  zucchini, diced  

1 Medium  yellow summer squash, diced 

1/2  cup chopped fresh basil leaves

 

In a frying pan with deep sides or dutch oven, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and stir frequently until onion is limp, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir in peppers, zucchini, and yellow squash. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook until squash is tender.  Stir in basil and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Re: Using up the patio garden...

Thanks for this recipe! I love tomitillo salsa and I love rick bayless!

 

 

On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 1:03 PM, Joanna Messer <joanna.messer@gmail.com> wrote:

I like my tomatillo salsa (salsa verde for those of you out there)

8-10 fresh tomatillos (approx. 1 1lb)
1/2 onion (white works best)
2-3 serrano chiles
2-3 cloves garlic
lime juice, salt and pepper to taste

Roast the tomatillos and chiles under a broiler, about 10 minutes (turn over halfway through), making sure to reserve the liquid from the roasting. Dice the onion and either press or mince the garlic. Put it all together in a food processor (preferred) or blender and process to your desired texture. Add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. This, too, stands up to a day or so of melding.
(loosely adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen)

-Joanna

On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:48 AM, Michelle Bowman <ishellb@dishmail.net> wrote:

What to do, what to do, with all those tomatoes, banana peppers and soon to come red peppers? 

 

Duh.

 

Salsa, anyone?

 

Will be making a variation of the Mango Salsa recipe given to me by a friend.

 

·         1 chopped mango

·         1 chopped avocado

·         1 finely diced onion

·         1 handful of cilantro, send through the food processor (to taste. I find it a little overwhelming)

·         ½ of the juice of 1 lime

 

I've heard it works best to let this sit over night in the fridge, to allow the flavor to really come together.

 

I am a salsa newbie, so always looking for suggestions. Please share!

 

Michelle

Re: Using up the patio garden...

I like my tomatillo salsa (salsa verde for those of you out there)

8-10 fresh tomatillos (approx. 1 1lb)
1/2 onion (white works best)
2-3 serrano chiles
2-3 cloves garlic
lime juice, salt and pepper to taste

Roast the tomatillos and chiles under a broiler, about 10 minutes (turn over halfway through), making sure to reserve the liquid from the roasting. Dice the onion and either press or mince the garlic. Put it all together in a food processor (preferred) or blender and process to your desired texture. Add salt, pepper and lime juice to taste. This, too, stands up to a day or so of melding.
(loosely adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen)

-Joanna

On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 11:48 AM, Michelle Bowman <ishellb@dishmail.net> wrote:

What to do, what to do, with all those tomatoes, banana peppers and soon to come red peppers? 

 

Duh.

 

Salsa, anyone?

 

Will be making a variation of the Mango Salsa recipe given to me by a friend.

 

·         1 chopped mango

·         1 chopped avocado

·         1 finely diced onion

·         1 handful of cilantro, send through the food processor (to taste. I find it a little overwhelming)

·         ½ of the juice of 1 lime

 

I've heard it works best to let this sit over night in the fridge, to allow the flavor to really come together.

 

I am a salsa newbie, so always looking for suggestions. Please share!

 

Michelle