Sunday, May 31, 2009
Quarter-Life Painting
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Best Ever
3/4 cup (144 g) raw sugar
Zest of 1 lime, about 1 tablespoon
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (204 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup (50 g) nondairy white chocolate chips
2 to 3 tablespoon(s) (15 to 30 ml) coconut milk or other nondairy milk
*1/4 shredded unsweetened coconut**(optional)
With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Stir in zest, juice, extract.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Fold dry ingredients into wet. Add milk, as needed. Fold in chips and coconut if using.
Scoop up 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons worth of dough. Flatten a little, as the cookies don’t spread a lot while baking.
Bake for 12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. If you want a soft gooey chewy cookie, bake for about 9-10 minutes.
Wait 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Rustic Tempeh Spinach Pie
Rustic Spinach Tempeh Pie
For the filling:
1 teaspoons orange zest, about 2 oranges
1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh orange juice, about 2 oranges
2 tablespoons (40 g) all-fruit orange marmalade
1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
2 teaspoons ground ginger
8 ounces (227 g) tempeh, crumbled
1 tablespoon (15 ml) peanut oil
2 cups (380 g) frozen chopped spinach
For the crust:
3 tablespoons (48 g) tahini
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/4 cups (150 g) light spelt flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (75 ml) fresh orange juice ( I used water, you can also use milk)
To make the filling:
In a medium bowl, whisk zest, juice, marmalade, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, optional red pepper flakes, and ginger.
Stir in tempeh. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Cook marinated tempeh, along with marinade, on medium heat until it browns up, for about 8 minutes. Add spinach and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5). Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat, such as Silpat.
To make the crust:
In your stand mixer or food processor, combine tahini, salt, and flour. Add orange juice, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, until dough forms.
Shape into a disk. Roll out dough to approximately 11 x 10 inches (28 x 25 cm), a little over 1/8-inch (3-mm) thick.
Transfer onto prepared baking sheet.
Place filling on top of the prepared crust, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the edges: the filling will pile up high. Level it, fold the edges of the pie crust up and over so that the filling is visible: it’ll look rustic, and that’s the point.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the crust is golden brown.
Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Yield: 4 servings
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Garden Markers
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Beautiful Victoria
So I moved to Victoria BC 4 months ago and looove it. Since I've been here I've been fortunate enough to explore Hornby Island, Mystic Beach, GoldStream Provincial Park, and view to die for from the beach just a few blocks from my house. Thought I'd share some imagery from my island explorations. More to come!
Oatmeal Chocolate Chippers
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups oats (rolled or "quick," but not "instant")
2 cups chocolate chips (about 12-oz.)
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars until mixture is light in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the milk and the vanilla extract.In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually beat the flour in to the sugar mixture until just incorporated.Stir in the oats and chocolate chips by hand.Drop 1-inch balls of dough onto the cookie sheet, placing about 1 1/2 inches apart so they have room to spread.Bake at 350F for 10-13 minutes, until golden brown at the edges and light golden at the center.Cool on baking sheet for at least 1-2 minutes before transfering to a wire rack to cool completely.