A few weeks ago I mentioned I’m trying to get into the whole Meatless Monday Movement. I have committed to devoting a few posts per month towards this. For my this weeks post I want to revisit some published and not published ideas and recipes here on Coco Cooks.
Salad and Parmesan Crisps
. OK, not quite vegan, but its meatless and tasty. Try a quick and easy salad with crusty bread and Parmesan crisps. Take a parchment lined baking sheet and add shredded Parmesan Cheese. Bake at 375 for a few minutes until melted and slightly crispy. Don’t burn. Remove and let cool.
Sweet or Savory Buckwheat Crepes
I love these and find you can make a big batch of them to freeze and use for either breakfast, lunch , or dinner. Fill with sauteed mushrooms and spinach with cream, or a fried egg. Be creative. Fruits , yogurt,and Nutella spreads, butter,sugar, and rum taste divine on them too. Added benefit is Buckwheat is good for you. Click here for the recipe.
Roasted sweet winter squash. Skin is edible. This comes in at about 82 calories a serving. I love munching on these wedges that are both filling and sweet.
Ingredients
1 1/4
lb Japanese Pumpkin
1/2
tsp cinnamon
1
tbsp Olive oil
1
tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/8
tsp cayenne pepper
1
pinch of salt
1
pinch of black pepper
Directions
Cut and slice the Kabocha Squash into small wedges. Arrange on parchment a lined baking sheet. Toss the squash in all the remaining ingredients to be sure the pieces are covered in the oil. Roast at 450 for about 15 minutes or until caramelized and crispy.
In literature , one always reads of elaborate tea scenes with Devonshire Cream. The authors always make it sound so appetizing. In the United States your don’t see it so much except for small little jars in some groceries which I have seen both in and out of the refrigerator. That unrefrigerated ones always freaked me out , and thus I stayed away from it.
So the other day I was killing time before meeting Certain Someone for dinner. I stopped by Pastoral, an artisnal cheese shop off the Mag Mile and browsed through there selections. A magazine caught my eye called Culture. Imagine a whole magazine devoted to cheese. I purchased a copy and was tranfixed by both the articles and the advertisements. They actually had recipes to make your Feta and such. I found a cheesemaking supply company and ordered on their kits to make my own Camembert. Click to left on the sidebar to see what else they have to offer. Yes. thats coming down the line. Patience. I decided to look at the magazines web site to find other recipes, and I found a recipe that intriqued me . Home Made Clotted Cream. Its not as hard as you would think.
So what is Clotted Cream, some of you may ask? It’s
divine.A thick almost butter like cream with little yellow clots from the crust formed while the cream rises to the top, while being processed over 12 hours. The recipe calls for a double boiler type set up as you heat the cream on a very low heat for 12 hours, cool, then allow to set overnight in the fridge while not upsetting the crust formation on top. I used the leftover cream that was left after the crust formed, to bake my scones that morning.So this a project that you need to stay home for and check on your stove top. The taste is almost like caramel. One slathers it on scones with jam or can use it in other desserts. The origins of the Dairy jewel is from South west England in both Devon and Cornwall. Of course the dairy there has a distinctive taste that makes it unique.
In the United States is hard to find unpasteurized milk or cream unless you have access to a trusted dairy farm. Living in the city , I don’t. Some people say your cream cant be pasteurized to be true Cornish clotted Cream.. Mine was . The recipe I used stated as long it wasn’t Homogenized or Ultra Homogenized. So consider this the American version of Clotted Cream.
With Easter coming up, dainty Spring High Teas, Summer garden parties, mix up a bath of this delightful cream. I just want to gobble it up with strawberries. But in the meanwhile I’m content with some blueberry scones. For the full recipe with step by step photos, click here.
Those that know me know I love to try new things. I’m quite adventurous when it comes to food. A few incidents occurred this past week that propelled me to make this tasty vegetarian recipe. I had ordered three Culinaria books to round my collection, and the first one was on South East Asia. Reading the first section about Singapore and Malaysia, and the various ethnicities that make up that region got me hungry. Particularly the Chinese old fashioned coffee shops , a fading tradition, where they serve for breakfast a egg jam made of eggs, sugar, pandan, and condensed milk, and such things as this ‘carrot cake” which is a cake made up rice flour, and shredded Daikon Radish, eggs, and a thick sweet soy sauce called ketjap manis ( which is Indonesian in origin). Lo and behold the next day I received 3 perfect looking Daikon Radishes in my Organic Vegetable Box. I knew I had to make this recipe. The Chinese words for Daikon (chhài-thâu)and
Carrot (âng-chhài-thâu) are similar and this is why its called ‘Carrot Cake” or Chai tao kway. The dish varies over regions and can served white or dark with the dark so based ketjap manis. Some people even add dried shrimp to it. Be warned, this breakfast dish takes while. A cake is made by steaming shredded wok fried Daikon and rice flour for and hour and then letting it cool for a minimum if eight hours.
Then more slicing,dicing, and frying and there you have it. The pasty white cake getting soft and sticking to wok, didn’t look appealing at all at first. And the smell of Daikon sautéing reminded me of sauerkraut. But in that final stage of adding the eggs, garlic, Ketjap manis, Siracha, and scallions, my nose became alive and I could see this would be a good dish. That extra of cilantro and Sambal Olek just took it over the top. I could eat this for lunch or dinner. For a vegetarian dish, its very tasty and filling. You can find the recipe here from Epicurious. Note I couldn’t find Ketjap manis so I made my own using a combination of various ones on the internet. I used brown rather than white sugar, so the result is more subtle in sweetness). Some people add molasses or brown sugar as well.
Homemade Ketjap Manis (Indonesian Ketchup)
2 ½ cups Brown Sugar
½ cup water
2 ¾ cups Dark Soy Sauce
3 whole garlic cloves
3-4 Star Anise Pods
1 tsp ground ginger.
In a heavy bottom saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to boil until syrup starts to form and it starts to caramelize.Carefully reduce heat and add the soy sauce and other ingredients. Reduce heat carefully and simmer for 15 minutes until reduced and thickened. Let cool. Can be kept for a while in the refrigerator for a few months tightly covered.
One story traces the tiramisu as far back as the Renaissance claiming that it was first made in honour of the visit of Grand Duke Cosimo di Medici to Tuscany. Yet another one points to the tiramisu being an adaptation of the “Zuppa Inglese” referring to the sponge cake and cream layered English Trifle.
However, experts in this area generally agree that the tiramisu as we know it today, was born in the ‘70s.
Some believe that the Tiramisu was created in the the Le Beccherie (a restaurant in Treviso). Ohters suggest that Tiramisu was first made in 1971 by an Italian baker named Carminantonio Iannaccone in a small bakery in Treviso, Italy. I’m a few days late with this post. Never have I really felt that February was the shortest day of the month than now. There never seems to be enough time. And what little free time there is, I don’t feel compelled to fill it up with another activity. Coco Cooks kitchen has been a little slow on the baking activity this month. My kitchen still is not right from Certain Someone repainting of the condo, and until I get my new shelves and get organized, it will be hard to focus.
I did the components on separate days. I found my cream while making Mascarpone did not reach 190 degrees, but it set nevertheless. I ran out of sugar and used confectioners in the whipped cream. To sweeten the coffee brew I took the remaining few tablespoons of sugar and added Kahlúa as it was sweet and coffee flavored. I used little mini loaf pans to make 2 full Tiramisu and 1 with the left over odds and ends. They froze beautifully and will be excellent to take out when and if we need a dessert in a jam. All in all it was very good and not too sweet. My only issue with the recipe was the Zabaglione. Maybe it was to wordy with all the components and I lost something. But my Zabaglione did not double in volume, nor did he recipe state it should. This is not a dessert I normally am a big fan of, but I would make this again. I decided to garnish my dessert with some beautiful fresh cherries that I saw in the store from Argentina. I know they aren’t local or seasonal, but I wanted them. I roasted them in Balsamic and Brown Sugar. A great a zingy addition to this dessert especially with the cocoa powder.
Thanks to Aparna and Deeba for a true challenge. Be sure to check out the other Daring Bakers. Cherries
With being sick for the past two weeks, not working out as a consequence, the abundance of Stir It 28 food, and Chicago Restaurant Week, my body is screaming mercy!!! This Monday I managed my first work out without collapsing. I had brought some leftovers from the event Sunday for lunch, but after that workout my body craved salad. Then for dinner I wasn’t that hungry, but Certain Someone wanted something quick, like sausages. I honestly couldn’t stomach the though of eating meat, which I love, but couldn’t handle that day. So I looked in the refrigerator and saw some leftover cooked red beans, sliced red peppers, onions, green bell peppers, fresh asparagus, parsley, and zucchini. I had also purchased some of that large luscious looking Israeli Couscous earlier. Marie, Proud Italian Cook, had gifted me some lemon infused olive oil, which I love. So an idea for a salad started to form while Certain Someone’s sausages were cooking away. Maybe it was subliminal with the many Meatless Monday tweets I see, or all the talk about Lenten sacrifices. But I listen to my body and felt quite satisfied with the wonderful salad I put together. I even brought some for lunch the following day.
If you don’t know, John Hopkins School of Public Health has out together a wonderful program to promote your personal good health and the health of the planet. By pledging to give up meat and its by products on Mondays, the ‘start’ of the week, we reduce our changes of diseases linked to obesity as well as help the planet.
Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.
We provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives.
Presidents Wilson, Truman and Roosevelt galvanized the nation with voluntary meatless days during both world wars.
By reviving this American tradition we can help address the challenges we face today. We can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and lead the world in the race to mitigate climate change.
I doubt I can get Certain Someone on board with Meatless Mondays, but maybe ease him into this. But , I , for one will start. Being a good cooks, I know that one can eat some exciting creative foods adhering to the vegan rule. Its just one day!
Warm Roasted Veg and Bean Salad with Israeli Couscous and Toasted Sesame Seeds
*please note you make many variations on this salad based on your preferences. So use this guide.
1 cup Israeli Couscous
1 cube vegetable bouillon
1 bunch Asparagus Spears chopped
1 half red pepper sliced
1 half green bell pepper sliced
1 zucchini sliced
1 /2 white onion sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste
Dried Italian Seasoning
1 cup cooked red kidney beans (I made mine from scratch but you can use canned, drained and rinsed)
1 bunch parsley chopped
½ cup lemon infused olive oil
½ cup Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbsp sesame seeds
In a small pot with lid add ¼ cup boiling water and vegetable bouillon. Dissolve cube. Add Couscous and cover with lid for several minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with a rim with parchment paper. Add the vegetables and toss with the olive oil on the sheet. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Bake at 450 F for 10-15 min until they start to brown and are tender. Remove and set aside.
In a large bowl, add chopped parsley, Couscous, red kidney beans, vegetables, and the remaining ½ cups each of lemon infused olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Toss all ingredients and set aside.
In a dry skillet lightly toast the sesame seeds, and add some to salad ad on top as garnish.
