Showing posts with label sesame. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sesame. Show all posts

SAVORY FLOURLESS WINTER MUFFINS (GRAIN-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN)

Posted by GLOW

These muffins were a pleasant surprise born of experimentation this week. I had some leftover chestnut puree, and thought I might try something like a vegan nut roast. My first attempt was quite tasty, and the same formula that I will list below, except that it was cooked at a lower temperature in the oven, which left them firm, but still soft to the fork, and kind of dangling in the realm of the unnameable. The second time around, I tried them at a higher temperature, my thought being that it might be more like a nut roast, but was kind of excited when I found them to be perfect savory muffins instead. These are somewhat dense, though not nearly as much as you would expect, and since they are flour-free, grain-free, baking soda, powder, xanthun gum, egg, etcetera, etcetera-free, they don't feel heavy in your stomach like a lot of gluten-free and vegan baked goods do. Plus, I'm always a fan of recipes with few ingredients, and love to prove to people that baking gluten-free doesn't require a million different flours and additives. Bonus that they are full of protein, iron, magnesium, manganese, and vitamin C, and other good vitamins, minerals & healthy fats. Mix this up with different herbs and spices to suit your whim. Chestnuts, at least here in New England, are pretty expensive typically, but if you live near an Ocean State Job Lot, they were recently selling bags of them for only two bucks. If not, I would recommend procuring some anyway, as it is an incredibly versatile ingredient for both savory and sweet recipes.

SAVORY WINTER MUFFINS

1 CUP CHESTNUT PUREE
1 CUP RAW PUMPKIN SEEDS (PEPITAS)
1/4 CUP FLAXMEAL
1 TSP SMOKED SEA SALT
2 TSP TOASTED SESAME OIL
1/4 CUP WARM WATER
GENEROUS HANDFUL OF FRESH ROSEMARY & PARSLEY

PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. GRIND PUMPKIN SEEDS DOWN TO A MEAL IN A FOOD PROCESSOR, WIPING SIDES WITH A SPOON TO AID. ADD SALT & FLAXMEAL, MIX. IN A SEPARATE BOWL, MIX CHESTNUT PUREE WITH OIL & WATER, AND THEN ADD TO INGREDIENTS IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR. MIX, AND ADD ROSEMARY & PARSLEY THROUGH THE CHUTE. SCOOP OUT AND PUT IN SIX SILICONE MUFFIN WRAPPERS, OR INTO GREASED MUFFIN TIN. (I WOULD RECOMMEND GRAPESEED OIL OR GHEE.) IF USING SILICONE MUFFIN HOLDERS, PLACE ON BAKING SHEET. BAKE FOR 20-25 MINUTES OR UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN AND FIRM.

MAKES 6 MUFFINS

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HAPPY NEW YEAR & A DILL CHICKPEA SPREAD RECIPE

Posted by GLOW

BACKYARD FIREWORKS AT MIDNIGHT, FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW, A LITTLE BIT OF NEW YEAR'S MAGIC BEFORE HURRYING INSIDE FOR WARMTH
I hope all of you survived the holiday season, and have found yourselves entering the new year with renewed energy and hope for 2011. I'm a big fan of ushering in the new year with proper ceremony, which for me involves doing something out of the ordinary, something that joyfully represents a shift in energy and perspective. This year that entailed a trip to the country, to enjoy the company of some of my favorite people, who also happen to be some of my favorite artists. I felt so blessed to be in their company, and even more blessed that our wonderful host, Courtney, after studying my previously posted list of food restrictions, actually came up with wonderful dishes that I could eat to supplement the food that I brought with me from Boston. This was a first for me, and it was such a healing experience to be able to partake in everything on the table. I truly couldn't ask for a better way to enter into a new year. My only regret is that I didn't get better photographs of the tasty fare! (With the sun going down by 4:30 pm, winter in New England is not kind to food photographers.) Not pictured is my root vegetable lasagna, my pesto chickpea flatbread, and most regrettably, the amazing lavender lemonade that Courtney made for me which was, in my mind, far superior to the alcohol that I was passing on.
SEARED QUINOA & TEFF WITH PISTACHIOS & OLIVES, DILL-BRAISED & ROASTED FENNEL, ROOT VEGGIE CHIPS TO DIP IN A GARLIC-FREE GUACAMOLE, ALL BY COURTNEY
DIET, DESSERT & DOGS' RUTABAGA GRATIN, MODIFIED WITH FRESH ROSEMARY, TARRAGON, MARJORAM & THYME
This chickpea spread is dense, creamy and versatile, working as a dip, spread, and in my mind, even a faux-egg salad sandwich substitute. (It could surely be tweaked to satisfy that craving more appropriately, but the hint is there, and it's gratifying.) We spread it on Kim's Pumpkinseed Teff Bread, which I made for the evening, and in the days following, I used the leftover spread to make sandwiches with avocado and spinach, and used the rest as a generous dollop on top of a grilled breast of chicken with a spinach arugala salad, which was phenomenal. Try it and tell me what you think!

DILL CHICKPEA SPREAD

1 15 OZ CAN CHICKPEAS/GARBANZO BEANS
1/4 CUP TAHINI
1    TBS TOASTED SESAME OIL
1/2 TSP SEA SALT
1/4 TSP NUTMEG
1/8 TSP ALLSPICE
JUICE OF HALF A LEMON
LOTS 'O' FRESH DILL (I USED A FEW TBS, FOR SURE, BUT ADD TO YOUR OWN TASTE)

DRAIN CAN OF GARBANZO BEANS*, PUT BEANS IN FOOD PROCESSOR WITH REMAINING INGREDIENTS AND PUREE, ADDING MORE DILL AS DESIRED.

*I LIKE TO SAVE THE RESERVE IN A CONTAINER IN THE FRIDGE TO USE AS THE LIQUID IN MY CHICKPEA FLOUR OMELETS, WRAPS, ETC.

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JAPANESE-INSPIRED CHICKPEA FLOUR "OMELET" (GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN)

Posted by GLOW

JAPANESE-INSPIRED CHICKPEA FLOUR "OMELET" WITH TAHINI, AVOCADO & SALAD GREENS
 I was never the biggest fan of omelets, although more likely because of the adverse symptoms that would inevitably accompany my consumption of them than their flavor. Like many foods, I've always found the idea of an omelet to be superior to its reality. Protein breakfast packed with savory veggies, cheese and herbs? Fantastic. Migraine headaches, sinus congestion, muscle aches and strange brain fog that prevents me from formulating simple sentences? Unless I'm feeling particularly masochistic, I'll pass.

When I was happily living my days as a strict vegan, I could solve (I thought) this conundrum by fixing up a faux-egg dish with tofu. Mmm! Once I isolated soy as a trigger for nerve inflammation, though, I was stuck. God bless Kim at Affairs of Living for figuring out a solution to the soy-free egg scramble. She posted a recipe here that got the wheels in my brain working. In her post, she mentioned her goal of figuring out how to use a similar formula to make an omelet. The concept intrigued me, so I started experimenting myself. It didn't take long for me to work the recipe out to my liking, and since then I've made countless variations of it. The version I'm sharing with you here is Japanese-inspired, and appropriately, is also an entry for Kim and Ricki's (of Diet, Dessert & Dogs) Sweet or Savory Kitchen Challenge this month, where the featured ingredient is the sesame seed.

This recipe includes ingredients that you may not recognize. Mugwort powder is used in Japanese cuisine to flavor mochi, dumplings and soups. Any witches or mystics out there may also recognize it, as it is purported to aid psychic powers, and to cleanse divination tools. My books on herbalism say that it aids in digestion, is soothing to the nervous system, stimulates the liver, and is anti-parasitic. It has an earthy flavor reminiscent of green tea.  (Here is an interesting synopsis of its medicinal and metaphysical properties.)

MUGWORT POWDER AND PERILLA SEEDS FROM A LOCAL ASIAN GROCER
Perilla seeds, or shiso, along with sesame seeds, are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are also necessary for the health of the nervous system. Both of these ingredients were purchased at a local asian market, Reliable Market in Somerville's Union Square. The ground kelp, which has countless health benefits, can be purchased from the bulk spice and herb section at Harvest Coop in Central Square, Cambridge.

JAPANESE-INSPIRED CHICKPEA FLOUR "OMELET"
This has a lovely, subtle and savory flavor to it. I often add more mugwort powder; either way it's a dream.

1/2 cup chickpea/garbanzo bean flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp kelp granules (finely ground kelp)
1/4 tsp mugwort powder (aka sagebrush powder)

3/4 cup water
1 tbs fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about one lemon wedge)
1/2 tbs tahini

1/2 tbs green perilla seed (aka shiso)
1 tbs sesame oil
sesame seeds (or Seaweed Gomasio if you're a salt hound like me) for sprinkling

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl, and add the water a 1/4 cup at a time to work out the lumps. Add lemon juice, tahini, and then the perilla seeds. Pour the tablespoon of sesame oil into a heated (medium heat) 10-inch non-stick pan, and turn to coat. Pour the batter into the pan. It should settle fully into the base of the pan, but help it with the back of a spoon if it doesn't. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on the batter immediately, before the batter starts to set. Cook this way until the edges start to look slightly crisp, and the bottom is golden brown in spots. Carefully work a large, flexible spatula (like this) around the edges of the omelet until it is loose. Work the spatula under, and quickly flip. Cook until bottom is golden brown.
Transfer to a plate and serve with salad greens and tahini, sauteed greens (mizuna! mustard greens! chard!), homemade seed cheese, or whatever else suits your fancy.

serves 1

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