From Shakshuka to Pie-- Adventures in Kitchen Substitution

The last few weeks I've been experimenting with Corn Meal (in the form of Polenta) and Eggs. I also made this Pie for Pi Day back in March. Unfortunately I could not find frozen Cherries at the time, so I used a combination of Cranberries and Strawberries. But it turned out really well, so I tried it again when I had Cherries (thanks to my parents' cherry tree). Enjoy!

Brussel Sprout Shakshuka

Olive Oil

Onion

Brussel Sprouts

2 Eggs

Sauce:

Tomato Paste

Water

Oregano

Garlic

Balsamic Vinegar

Sauté vegetables in medium frying pan.

In a small sauce pan, combine tomato paste, water, vinegar and spices. Pour over vegetables and continue to heat. Make a small well in the middle of the pan, crack eggs, and pour in. Cover with a lids and heat until eggs are cooked.

Polenta with Asparagus and an over-easy Egg

1/2 cup Corn Meal
2 cups Water
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp Vinegar

Black Pepper

Paprika

Olive Oil

Onion

Asparagus

Egg

Heat water in a large pot, when boiling, slowly pour in corn meal. Lower the temperature to simmer and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until polenta has absorbed the water. Take pot off flame and stir in shredded cheese and spices. Pour half into a bowl. Keep the other half for a later meal.

Sauté onions and asparagus in a small amount of olive oil. Pour over polenta. Fry egg in the same frying pan. Add to polenta.

Fried Polenta with Marinara Sauce and Vegetables

Polenta (from night before)

Oil

Vegetables of your choice

Tomato Paste

Water

Oregano

Garlic

Balsamic Vinegar

Parmesan Cheese

Saute vegetables in small amount of olive oil. Set aside.

Slice polenta into 1/2 strips. Pour oil into pan and fry polenta until it begins to brown. Set aside on a paper towel or piece of cardboard.

In a small sauce pan, combine tomato paste, water, vinegar and spices. Pour sauce and vegetables over polenta. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Cherry Crunch Pie

3-4 cups frozen Cherries, thawed (you can substitute frozen Cranberries and Strawberries if you don't have Cherries)

Water

3/4 cup Sugar

3 Tbsp.  quick-cooking Tapioca

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 cups Rolled Oats

1/2 cup Flour

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Butter, melted

Drain cherries, reserving juices; if necessary, add water to equal 1 cup. In a medium saucepan combine sugar and tapioca. Stir in reserved juices and lemon juice. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

Add drained cherries. Cook and stir 5 minutes more. Pour filling into greased pie dish.

For topping, in a bowl combine coconut, nuts, oats, flour, and brown sugar. Add melted butter; stir to combine. Sprinkle topping over filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

A Crockpot Curry with a side of Healthy Desserts

We've recently begun Monday-night roommate dinners at our apartment. This week was my turn to cook, so I decided to make a curry recipe given to me by an old roommate. It's a crockpot meal, which is great when one wants to make a hot meal after a long day at work. 

And here are two more baking-with-alternative-sweetener recipes for you. Enjoy!

 

Crockpot Chicken Sweet Potato Curry

Multiple Servings (includes 2-3 servings of vegetables)

 

1 large Onion

2 medium Sweet Potatoes

2/3 cup Orange Juice

2 Tbsp. Curry Powder

1/4 tsp. Black pepper

1 Tbsp. Garlic

1 can Coconut Milk

1-2 tsp. dried Parsley

1 tsp. dried Tarragon

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

3 ½- 4 cups Chicken Broth (I used homemade, from slow-cooking a chicken, and then the carcass the night before)

Chicken

1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

[NOTE: If using uncooked boneless breasts add to crockpot at the beginning.  If you are using pre-cooked (slow-cooked) chicken, add towards the end.]

Coarsely chop onion and sweet potato, place in crockpot. In a medium bowl, combine orange juice, spices, coconut milk, lemon juice, and broth. Pour over vegetables. Place lid on crockpot and cook on low for 4-5 hours, or until sweet potatoes are tender/meat is cooked [if starting with un-cooked chicken]. With one hour remaining, add [pre-cooked chicken] and cayenne pepper.

Serve over rice or rice noodles with other vegetables such as green beans or corn.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (made with Agave and Maple Syrup)

Multiple servings (includes 1 serving of fruit)

2/3 cups Coconut Oil

2/3 cups Agave Nectar + Pure Maple Syrup

2 Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 ½ cups Flour (half white, half whole wheat)

1 ½ cups Rolled Oats

1 ¼ tsp. Baking Soda

1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon

1 cup Raisins

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

In a large bowl, combine wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir well. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or until slightly browned.

Banana Agave Brownies

Multiple servings (includes partial serving of fruit)

1/2 cup Coconut Oil

1/2 cup Agave Nectar 
1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 Egg

1 Banana, smashed

1/2 cup Flour (half white, half whole wheat)

1/3 cup Cocoa Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 cup chopped Walnuts

In a medium bowl, combine wet ingredients and beat until fluffy. Add dry ingredients and stir gently until all absorbed.

Grease a 9x9 baking pan and pour in batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

In Favor of Honey (and Agave and Maple Syrup)

I recently decided to experiment with removing processed sugar from my diet. It happens to be Lent, a great time to abstain from our vices--and sugar definitely falls into that category! But this hasn't stopped me from baking. The following recipes are all examples of how I have replaced sugar with Honey, Agave Nectar, or Pure Maple Syrup. Baking with liquid sweeteners require a little variation in the other ingredients. You can alter almost any sugar-based recipe by following these basic rules: 

1. Honey and maple syrup are sweeter than sugar, so use less (about 1/2 – 3/4 cup) for each cup of sugar.
2.  When substituting a liquid for a granulated sweetener for every 1 cup of honey, subtract 1/4 cup of liquid from the recipe (that means also, for every 1/4 cup of honey, subtract 1 Tbsp of liquid). 
3.  If baking with honey or maple syrup, reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit, since maple syrup and honey will tend to caramelize and burn faster than granulated sweeteners. 

5.  Since maple syrup and honey are somewhat acidic, when baking, you will need to add 1/4 – 1/2 tsp baking soda per cup of honey or maple syrup to the batter so it will rise. 

Honey Hamentashen

Multiple Servings (1 serving of Fruit)

4 cups sifted Flour (half white, half whole wheat pastry)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 cup Coconut Oil (or Butter or Oil)

1 cup Honey

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Sift flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Make a well, place oil, honey, and lemon juice in it.

Work together with hand until dough is formed. Let sit in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Quadruple Berry Filling:

2 cups Berries (Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Cranberries)

1 cup Water

2 tsp. Corn Starch

1 tsp. Agave Nectar

In a medium pot, heat berries and water. After a few minutes, remove 1/4 cup liquid and combine with cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir until dissolved. Pour back into pot with berries. Stir well. Add agave nectar. And bring back to a boil. Continue to boil and stir until berries are the consistency of jam.

Roll out dough and cut into circles.  Spoon filling into each circle fold, and seal edges.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until browned.

Granola Balls

Multiple Servings (includes dried fruit)

Cocoa Honey

1 ¼ cups rolled Oats

1/2  cup Dried Fruit (Cranberries or Raisins, chopped)

3/4  cup Shredded Coconut

1/3 cup Flax Seeds (ground)

1/4 cup Seeds and Nuts (Variety: like Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pecans, Walnuts)

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 cup Nut Butter (Peanut Butter or Sunflower Butter)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3 tsp. Cocoa Powder

Maple Spice

1 ¼ cups rolled Oats

1/2 cup Dried Fruit (Cranberries or Raisins, chopped)

3/4 cup Shredded Coconut

1/3 cup Flax Seeds (ground)

1/4 cup Seeds and Nuts (Variey: like Sesame Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Pecans, Walnuts)

1/4 cup Honey

1/4 cup 100% Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Nut Butter (Peanut Butter or Sunflower Butter)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1/8 tsp. Cloves

1/8 tsp. Allspice

In 2 medium bowls, combine dry ingredients. In two larger bowls, combine wet ingredients. Stir wet and dry together. Add more honey or oats, if needed, depending on if it’s too wet or too dry.

Shape into balls and arrange on large cookie sheet. Place tray in freezer for an hour or so. Then move balls to a secure container and keep in refrigerator.

Pumpkin Honey Scones

Multiple Servings (includes 1 serving of vegetables)

2 3/4 cups Flour (half white and half whole wheat flour)

1 Tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

3/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Ginger

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1/3 cup minus 1 Tbsp Honey

1/2 cup Cold Butter

2/3 cup Canned Pumpkin

2 large Eggs

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and spices. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's ok for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

2) In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

3) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.

4) Scrape 1/3 of the dough onto the floured parchment or pan. Round each half into a 6" circle, about 3/4" thick. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

5) Using a knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into wedges of desirable size. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges.

6) For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 400°F.

7) Bake the scones for 22 to 25 minutes, or until they're golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean, with no wet crumbs. If you pull one of the scones away from the others, the edges should look baked through, not wet or doughy.

Top with a honey glaze (butter and honey boiled until thick).

Banana Pancakes

1 Serving (includes 1 serving of Fruit)

1 very ripe medium Banana

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 Egg

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil)

3 Tbsp. Coconut Milk (or regular milk)

1/2  cup rolled Oats

1/4  cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Mash your very ripe banana with baking powder. Add egg, oil, vanilla, butter, milk and stir.

Stir in oats and flour until just combined.

Fry on a greased skillet. Serve with Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup.

Skillet Apple Peanut Butter Crumble

1 Serving (includes 1 Serving of Fruit)

1 medium Apple, sliced

1 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 cup Water

Dash of Cinnamon

3/4-1 cup rolled Oats

1-2 tsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter (low sodium)

Sauté apples in butter and add water. Bring to a boil. Stir in cinnamon, oats and honey. Cook for a bit and then add peanut butter.