Homemade Vegetarian Hot Dogs

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

There are a number of vegetarian fake meats available these days. Tofurky makes various sausages, breakfast patties, hot dogs, etc. Field Roast is often my preferred store-bought variety, as they’re bold in flavor and texture. I didn’t grow up eating a vegetarian diet, nor have I spent most of my adult life eating that way. All of a sudden though, I have found myself interested in creating sausages that don’t necessarily mimic real meat, but hold up on their own in flavor and texture.

Seitan has been fun to experiment with. I’ve made various versions of it, which I’ve also cooked in various ways. My preferred method is steaming. That way the wheat meat doesn’t expand nearly as much and has less of a chewy texture, more of a meaty consistency. And the truth is, homemade seitan is actually really easy to deal with.

I tried making vegetarian andouille sausage a couple weeks ago, which didn’t come out as I had planned. The sausages were not nearly as spicy as I’d hoped for, but they were their own sort of delicious. I realized that there aren’t any vegetarian hot dogs in the market that I genuinely enjoy eating. Smart Dogs made by Lightlife are about the only veggie dogs I enjoy the flavor of.

I researched all over, looking up recipes for homemade hot dogs. Not veggie dogs, but the meaty version. I wanted an idea of what the spices are that go into these things. Some of the findings were pretty gross and certainly not an option for veggie dogs. However, some spices were similar all across the board: paprika, garlic, mustard powder. The following recipe was a complete experiment. I added tofu into the seitan mixture, merely for another texture and moisture.

These veggie dogs are moist, flavorful, and tasty on the pretzel buns I’ll post a recipe for soon :)

 

Homemade Vegetarian Hot Dogs

Makes about one dozen hot dogs

Ingredients:

1¾ cups vital wheat gluten
½ cup nonfat dry milk powder
2 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. dry mustard powder
1½ tsp. celery seed
1½ tsp. ground white pepper
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
1- 12.3 oz. container extra-firm silken tofu
¼ cup good quality olive oil


Directions:

In a food processor fitted with the large chopping blade, or a high-powered blender, combine all the ingredients. Pulse until the mixture comes together into an even ball of dough (2-3 minutes).

Working with about 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) of the dough at a time, roll the dough in your hands, to the shape of a hot dog. (Honestly for more of a hot dog sized sausage, use about 1 – 1½ ounces per sausage.)

Tightly wrap the hot dog in plastic wrap, twisting the ends like a candy wrapper. Wrap the plastic-wrapped hot dog in foil, also tightly, and also twisting the ends. (Square pieces of plastic and foil about 6×6-inches should work fine.)

Continue doing this until all of the dough has been formed and wrapped.

Steam the hot dogs in a steamer (I’ve used just a stainless steam basket over water, as well as a 2-layered bamboo steamer; they both work) for 30-40 minutes. While still wrapped, the hot dogs should not spring back, they’ll feel heavy and firm to the touch. That’s a pretty good indication that they’re ready.

You can serve the hot dogs now, unwrapping them as you need. If you’d like to, you can fry the hot dogs in a little bit of olive oil, to crisp up the outer part of the hot dog.

Store in the refrigerator. To reheat, you can boil the ‘dogs or fry them until heated through.

 

Posted in Appetizer, Dinner, Kids, Life, Lunch, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Homemade Ginger Ale and a Bourbon Ginger Cocktail

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

Let’s get real here. I love a cocktail. An adult beverage, if you will. I try not to keep an excessive amount of alcohol stocked up in our kitchen, though. If it’s easily accessible, I’ll make a drink while cooking. Then I’ll often have another with dinner. Perhaps after dinner, too. If it’s not there, that doesn’t become a daily habit. So far so good.

We also don’t drink a lot of soda. That’s an on-purpose-habit. I grew up with sodas always accessible in our house. I don’t remember asking to drink them before popping open a can, from elementary school well into high school. Easily, I probably drank two or three a day. I haven’t minded cutting out that unnecessary sugar in my adult life. On occasion I’ll buy a ginger ale if my stomach is feeling funky, but other than that I couldn’t tell you the last time I drank a soda just for the hell of it.

That said, I wanted a bourbon and ginger drink the other day, but realized that making my own ginger ale probably wouldn’t have as much sugar, it would be fresher tasting and with good quality bourbon, would probably make a delicous drink. There are two recipes here: homemade ginger ale that is fresh and easy to customize to your liking – more sweet, less gingery, more gingery and hardly sweet at all… it’s entirely up to you. And another recipe for the adult-version I’ve been drinking for the last couple days. It isn’t overly sweet, the ginger and bourbon work nicely together. I like the addition of fresh lime and bitters, which round everything out quite well.

 

Homemade Ginger Ale and a Bourbon Ginger Cocktail

Ingredients:

For the ginger water:
1 cup fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced *
3 cups water

For the simple syrup:
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water

club soda
fresh lime

* Once the ginger has been peeled, you can also use the smaller grating surface on a box grater to “mince” the ginger.

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the ginger and 3 cups of water. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then turn off the heat and set the pot aside for 30 minutes to cool. (You can also make this ahead of time, refrigerate it, and find that the ginger taste is even more intense.)

While the ginger water is cooling, mix the one cup of sugar and one remaining cup of water together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil until all the sugar has dissolved (3-4 minutes). Cook for an additional minute, then remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool to at least room temperature. Congratulations, you’ve just created a simple syrup.

To serve the ginger ale by the glass, fill your cup with ice and then combine a ½ cup of ginger water, ½ cup of club soda, ¼ cup of simple syrup, and a small squeeze of fresh lime juice. Stir and serve.

 

Bourbon and Ginger Cocktail

Makes one drink.

Ingredients:
¼ cup ginger water
¼ cup club soda
2-3 tbsp. simple syrup
2-4 oz. bourbon
2 tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
dash of Angostura bitters
ice

Directions:

Fill a tall glass (pint size) with ice. Combine the ginger water, club soda, simple syrup, bourbon, lime juice, and bitters. Stir well to evenly distribute everything. Serve immediately.

Posted in Beverages, Kids, Life | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

I’ve been enjoying the flavors of fall incredibly much. While for the past many years I’ve been intimidated by ingredients that I don’t often use, or recipes that require some actual form of skill (and less reliance on luck), I seem to have come across a new attitude with cooking. I actually really enjoy learning, which often seems to include overstepping my own hesitations and trying out new things. When it comes to food and having a family that’s open to trying new things as often as I want to create them, kitchen intimidation feels completely unnecessary.

That said, I had never baked a pie before. Yes, I’ve made mini pies in the mini-pie maker my mom sent as a birthday present. Surely I’ve purchased pre-made crusts and filled them with puddings, or fruit. And yes, I’ve made single-crusted pies that were always savory in nature and 50% of the time turned out into nothing more than a melted, gross, mess. A double-crusted homemade fruit pie? No, no.

Seems I’ve figured out one of the main tricks to homemade crusts, which is simply being sure your butter and/or shortening if you’re using it, remains cold. That way it doesn’t break down too quickly when you put the crust into your oven, keeping things from turning into the previous melted mess I mentioned. Simple.

I baked up this apple cranberry pie that was nicely spiced, filled with fresh cranberries and Gravenstein apples. The crust worked out amazingly well and looked beautifully crisp, golden, and delicious. When I cut into the damn thing though, what I found was a pie dish full of fruity soup! All the apple slices were still perfectly intact. The cranberry layer had stayed in place. What I had failed to remember though was how much moisture apples will give off. I remedied the disaster pretty easily, which I’ve included instructions for in the following recipe. I also included notes that I researched which should keep the pie from becoming soupy in the first place. I’m sure they’ll both work wonderfully… and the pie itself? It’s a great, tasty, reminder of fall. You won’t be disappointed by the flavors that come together in this dessert at all.

 

 

Spiced Apple Cranberry Pie

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Yields one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

For the crust:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of fresh ground nutmeg
¼ cup cane sugar
½ tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter, cold
6 tbsp. vegetable shortening
6-8 tbsp. ice cold water

For the filling:
2 cups fresh cranberries
¼ cup cane sugar
½ cup no pulp orange juice

2 pounds apples, cored and peeled
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup cane sugar
4 tsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1 egg, lightly beaten
sugar for dusting

 

Directions:

Prepare your dough for the pie crust:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, sugar and salt.

Cut in the butter and shortening. (My favorite way to do this is by using a box grater to add in the butter. Once the whole stick has been grated, I add in my shortening, then use my hands to mix everything together into what resembles really coarse cornmeal.

Mix the dry ingredients, butter, and shortening together until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add in the ice cold water one tablespoon at a time. Use your hands to mix everything together until the dough just comes together. (You may need more/less water, but remember to add it just one tablespoon at a time.)

Split the dough into two balls. Flatten, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1½ – 2 hours. (If you’re impatient like I was, put the flattened dough in your freezer for 35-45 minutes.

Prepare the cranberry mixture:
In a small saucepan, combine the fresh cranberries, sugar, and orange juice. Cook over medium heat until the cranberries begin to pop (6-10 minutes).

Occasionally stir the cranberries, until all of them have popped and the mixture comes to a low boil.

Stir and remove from heat. Set aside to let the cranberries cool.

Prepare your apples:
Slice the peeled and cored apples into slices that are about 1/8-inch thick. Place in a large bowl and add the light brown sugar, cane sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. Toss gently to evenly coat all the apples.

* I was rushing to get this pie done and didn’t bother to let the apples sit. Later when I cut a slice of pie, much to my horror I found the inside of my pie looked like fruit soup. The apples had released a ton of moisture while cooking. Turns out one way to reduce the potential of this happening is to allow your apple mixture time to sit, about 30-40 minutes. Drain the juices that are released into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens (10-15 minutes). Pour the thickened sauce back into your apples, tossing to evenly coat everything. Proceed with recipe.

Prepare your pie:
Remove your dough from the refrigerator. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before trying to work with the dough. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Have a 9-inch pie dish ready.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks of dough into a 12-inch circle that’s about 1/8-inch thick, then place into your pie dish. Trim the overhanging dough to no less than ½-inch longer than the pie dish.

Pour your apple mixture into the crust, spreading it evenly. Gently spoon the cranberry mixture over the apples, spreading it out evenly.

Roll out your remaining pie dough on a lightly floured surface, also to 12-inches around and 1/8-inch thick. Cut some slits or a decorative design in the center of your rolled out dough, which will allow steam to escape from inside the pie while it’s baking.

Gently place the rolled out dough on top of the filling. Trim the edges of the dough so they are even with the edges of your pie dish. Create a seal by pressing the top and bottom crusts together.

Brush the top of the pie with your lightly beaten egg. Sprinkle the top of your pie with additional sugar. Place the whole pie on a baking sheet and bake for one hour, until the crust is crisp and golden brown.

Remove the pie from your oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack for at least one full hour before serving.

If your pie is soupy when you finally cut into it, don’t throw it out or cry with disillusion. That’s precisely where my own pie was at. I removed the first piece, then gently poured all the juice into a measuring cup (there was about ¾ cup in there!). Strain that juice into a small saucepan. Add about ¼ cup of orange juice, ¼ cup of cane sugar, and cook the mixture over medium-high heat until it reduces and thickens. You can slice the remaining pie then drizzle the syrupy fruit sauce over the top. It’s actually quite delicious! Don’t drizzle the sauce on each slice until you’re serving it, just so the pie crust remains crisp!

Posted in Baking, Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Soft Pull Apart Rolls

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery


I have a soft spot for homemade bread. No, I’m not talking about that location in my stomach, right around my belly button… Although baking often doesn’t help that spot, either. I used to be intimidated by homemade breads. I’d bake them, only to wind up with very heavy, dense loaves of bread. Often, loaves that would burn on the top, have little softness to them, and even more importantly, were disappointing in flavor.  I finally figured out that like with most approaches to the kitchen, once I stopped psyching myself out about it before I attempted a recipe, everything worked out much better.

Yeast doesn’t have to be something you’re intimidated by. As long as your water isn’t too hot, where it kills the yeast, you should be good to go. One of the best tips I received was to let your tap water run for about 60 seconds on the hottest setting, then measure how much you need after that minute has passed. (Note: I don’t like to waste that minute’s worth of water, either. Generally I’ll collect it and use it to water our indoor plants.) I bake homemade breads often enough that I buy my yeast in bulk, which I’ve actually found to be much more responsive than the prepackaged stuff, the majority of the time I’ve used it. If you’ve got a refrigerated section in around your grocery store’s bulk items, look in there.

Initially I saw these rolls on Pinterest. Eventually I figured out the recipe is from King Arthur Flour, though. What I loved about the recipe itself when I tried it, was that everything can be done in one bowl. Homemade bread has never been simpler. (Seriously.) Nor softer, buttery, and delicious with minimal work. You don’t have to knead the dough excessively. You don’t have to add the flour a little at a time. It’s hard to mess these up, plus the rolls are a great accompaniment to homemade soup, pastas, salad, etc. They’re equally delicious on their own!


Soft Pull Apart Rolls

Recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

½ cup milk, warm (80-95°F)
2/3 cup water, warm (80-95°F)
2 tsp. dry active yeast
2 tbsp. cane sugar
3½ cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. nonfat dry milk powder
1½ tsp. sea salt
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, milk, and sugar. Stir. Sprinkle in the yeast, then set the mixture aside for about 10 or 15 minutes to let it proof (it’ll get bubbly and frothy).

Once the yeast has proofed, stir in the flour, milk powder, salt, and softened butter. No need for a stand mixer or high tech gadgets here, folks! Use a wooden spoon and mix until all the ingredients are evenly combined. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has doubled in size (1 hour).

Lightly grease an 8-inch round baking pan. Sprinkle a surface with a little bit of flour. Dump out the risen dough. Knead for about 30 seconds, then gently roll the dough into balls about 2-2½ inches wide. Place in your greased pan, about ½ an inch apart. Set aside for a second rise, 15-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls for 22-25 minutes, until nicely golden brown and cooked all the way through. Brush with the two tablespoons of melted butter, then return to the oven for a minute or two, before serving the rolls warm.

Posted in Appetizer, Baking, Bread, Dinner, Sides, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Cranberry Apple Pear Sauce

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

The first time I made homemade cranberry sauce after meeting my husband, he was very, very hesitant to try it. He said he’d never liked cranberry sauce before… I realized he was referring to the canned, jellied cranberry sauce you most especially find around Thanksgiving. We recently revisited that conversation. He asked me, “What other foods do you get that come out in the shape of the can, with the lines from the can also engraved on the food?” To which I replied, “dog food.” “Exactly,” he said. “You don’t see me eating dog food!”

Luckily, homemade cranberry sauce is an entirely different entity. At least a million times better than dog food. He tried my homemade version years ago and said it was the best cranberry sauce he’d ever had. Honestly, I love that cranberries are so inexpensive this time of year. You can find them easily, too. I could eat cranberry sauce every day. I like it as an accompaniment to a meal, but I also love a bowl of the stuff at any given time throughout the day, on its own. Warm or cold.

The following cranberry sauce combines apples, pears, and cranberries. The apples and pears both offer their sweetness to balance out the tart berries. You can use whatever variety of  pears and apples you prefer. I still have a bunch of Gravenstein apples laying around, so that’s what I used. We were also recently given some pears, too. I am not sure what variety they are – perhaps Seckel pears, a smaller, light green colored, crunchy, very sweet fruit. You can use what’s available to you, though for this recipe I’d suggest something with a notable sweetness.

I dare you to eat only one bowl of this stuff.

Cranberry Apple Pear Sauce

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:
1- 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
2 cups apples, peeled and cored, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup pears, peeled, seeded, cut into bite-size pieces
1- 2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup no-pulp orange juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. pure maple syrup
½ tsp. ground Ceylon cinnamon
½ tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

Directions:

In a large pot, combine the cranberries, apples, pears, ginger, brown sugar, and orange juice. Stir to evenly distribute everything. Turn the stove on to medium heat. Occasionally stir the mixture as it cooks, until the cranberries begin to burst (15-20 minutes).

Once the mixture has thickened and both the apples and pears are fork-tender (25-30 minutes total cooking time), remove the pan from the stove. Stir in the vanilla, maple syrup, cinnamon and fresh nutmeg. Serve at room temperature, or allow the cranberry sauce to cool, then refrigerate it.

Posted in Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Lunch, Sauces, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Brown Butter

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery


I have to admit something. I do not get super wrapped up in TV shows or trendy gossip. There aren’t any TV programs I eagerly wait for week-to-week (possibly because we don’t have cable). I do, however, have one thing I look forward to every single Thursday. This podcast done by Joy Wilson from Joy the Baker and Tracy Benjamin from Shutterbean. It’s ridiculous. In a sincere, real life, smart lady, hilarious sort of way. My husband makes fun of me for listening at times. Other times, I’ll be listening to an episode (like this gem I somehow missed when I first started listening to the podcast) and he’ll be in another room and start cracking up at the things these ladies say, too.

Last week, Joy and Tracy did a podcast featuring a game using Google auto-fill (you know – you start typing in the Google search bar and you quickly receive suggestions for what the rest of your search terms will be) to answer some necessary (totally unnecessary) life questions. I’ve found myself checking what sort of questions Google thinks I may want to know the answers to beginning with “Why are…” or “I like to smell…” or “Is it illegal…” I’ve got to say, Google, I have never really wondered why manhole covers are round, or thought about enjoying the smell of other peoples farts (or my dog’s ears?!), or if it’s illegal to drive without shoes on. It perplexes me that other folks around this planet are concerned about such things.



The other internet nerdy thing I do (a lot) is look through the search terms people use to find my blog. Some terms are reasonable, totally expected, natural I’d even say:  vanilla pancakes (top search term, often on Sundays), vegetarian red beans and rice, forbidden rice blog, sourdough cinnamon rolls… Other terms, however, make me laugh out loud. These are my top favorites of all time: spongy looking Filipino food, black lady carrot top, what is up with this vegetarian pot pie?, eating pants, and.. someone getting smashed by pancakes. Really, world?

In reality, none of these things have to do with the recipe you’re about to get. I realize, also out of nerdiness, that if I post this soup recipe and someone were to stumble upon my blog, they’d think that for the last couple of weeks all we eat around here is soup and baked doughnuts. I suppose there are worse things you could live off of… This soup is very hearty, rich with fall flavor. Butternut squash is easy to find this time of year. The sweetest of fall squashes, it pairs nicely with apples, which are also easy to find right now and offer another layer of sweetness. I used Gravensteins, but you can use whatever type you prefer. The sage brown butter is slightly nutty in flavor and stirred into your bowl of soup right before you eat it, creates an enjoyable meal. I suggest you make a pot while listening to the Joy the Baker podcast. Seriously.

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Brown Butter

Yields a gigantic amount of soup

Ingredients:
one 4–5 pound butternut squash
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 medium leek, hard green parts removed, then chopped thin
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 pound apples, cored, seeds removed, then cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups No-Chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup half and half
¾ tsp. ground ginger
olive oil
salt and pepper

6 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup fresh sage, minced

Directions;
Preheat your oven to 400° F. Peel the butternut squash, then dice into one inch cubes. Here are some great instructions for this! Place the cubed squash on one or two large baking sheets (I needed two). Drizzle generously with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until the squash is browned on the edges and tender.

While the squash is in the oven, melt your stick of butter in a large stock pot, over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the leeks, onion, garlic, and two tablespoons of fresh chopped sage. Stir to evenly distribute everything. Cook until the leeks are tender and the onions are translucent (7-10 minutes).

Add the cubed apples to the mixture, along with the roasted butternut squash. Add in the broth. Stir to evenly combine everything. Remove from heat.

Blend the soup in your food processor or high speed blender, until smooth. Work the soup in batches to accommodate your appliances. (I had to work half the soup at a time, placing the pureed soup in another stock pot.) Once you’ve pureed all of the vegetables and apples and returned them to a stock pot then stir in the half and half, ginger, and additional salt and pepper if you’d like. Heat the soup back up over medium-low heat.

While the soup is reheating, melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan, over medium heat. Whisk the butter frequently so it doesn’t burn. Once the butter has melted, it will get foamy, then subside. Watch the butter carefully at this point, as you can get from golden brown to burnt before you know it. Once the butter has turned a nice golden brown, you’ll notice darker specks forming on the bottom of your pan. Remove the butter from the heat, placing your pan on a cool surface (to keep it from cooking further). Stir in the fresh sage and allow the butter to rest for 10 minutes before using.

Serve the soup in bowls, each topped with about one teaspoon of brown sage butter drizzled on top.

Posted in Dinner, Gluten-Free, Life, Lunch, Sides, Soup, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts with Lemon Glaze

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery


Today my husband had to put in a full day’s work, despite it being Saturday. So Silas and I had a morning and early afternoon to ourselves. We started off with cinnamon apple oatmeal, orange juice that Silas insisted needed to be mixed with vanilla almond milk (to make it like a creamsicle, duh), and a flag football game… followed by pizza delivery for lunch. It’s a recommended way to spend a Saturday start. We then decided to walk to the park to take in some fall  colors. On our way there we stopped for cupcakes (and free comic books from next door to the cupcake shop): Silas’s choice consisted of a chocolate cupcake, bright blue vanilla buttercream frosting, sprinkles, and an angry bird bomber ring to top things off. I opted for a lavender cream, white chocolate ganache topped cupcake (which was light, delicious, and perfectly lavender-y).


While I am surely fond of chocolate, many times I’ll prefer sweets that have some tartness. Or something other than rich, heavy flavors. Lemon bars are my favorite, by far. I’ve always had a fondness for lemon flavored things: lemon muffins, lemon cookies, lemon cream wafers, lemon poppy seed pancakes, lemon poundcake… I’d say it’s a problem, but really its always been enjoyable… The following recipe is a culmination of various doughnut recipes I’ve seen scattered around the internet. These doughnuts are very light, airy, and a lovely combination of tart and sweet. The glaze really adds a great amount of lemon flavor with each bite.

 

Baked Lemon Poppy Seed Doughnuts with Lemon Glaze

Yields about one dozen doughnuts

Ingredients:
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. sour cream
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
4 tbsp. butter, melted
½ cup cane sugar
the zest from one lemon
1 tbsp. poppy seeds
¼ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1¼ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice


Directions:

Preheat your oven to 425° F. Lightly grease a regular sized baked doughnut pan (two if you’ve got em, for 12 total doughnuts).

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, melted butter, vanilla and lemon juice. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt, and sugar until you have a semi-thick batter formed. Stir in the lemon zest and poppy seeds until evenly dispersed. Spoon batter into each well in the doughnut pan, until about 2/3 full.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, keeping a close eye on the doughnuts to make sure they don’t burn. The doughnuts are ready when they’re golden in color, spring back when lightly touched, and a toothpick inserted towards the center of the doughnut comes out clean. Let the doughnuts rest in the pan a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

While the doughnuts are in the oven, prepare your glaze. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in the lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar once the coconut oil is fully melted. Keep on low heat until ready to use (it will thicken as it cools, making it increasingly difficult to dip your doughnuts).

Dip your preferred side of the baked doughnuts into the glaze, then return the doughnut to your cooling rack until the glaze hardens (10 minutes). Try not to eat the whole dozen all at once, but enjoy!


P.S. I am glad I married someone  a karate-chopping-ninja who apparently does not mind indulging in my need to make baked doughnuts at least once a week.

Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Kids, Life, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Roasted Tomato and Carrot Soup

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

It’s almost winter and I must admit: I like the dreary cold weather. Except that I know it’s only November and the seasons are hinting at a much colder winter. Will I still wear my slippers (flip flops, for all the “mainlanders” who didn’t grow up on an island in the ocean) and forget to blow dry my hair after showering, when venturing out of the house? Probably. Will I come home wanting a house that smells richly of warm food cooking and earthy flavors slapping me in the face? Most definitely.

I finally harvested the last of our tomatoes. Yes, I should’ve picked them sooner. Yes, they still tasted great. Yes, I was perhaps waiting until the last second, holding onto the vibrant red, gold, and orange tomatoes that still whispered summertime! I decided to roast the tomatoes along with fresh carrots, creating a richly flavored and colored soup.

If you wanted to, you could leave the cream out of this soup and simply replace it with a little more broth. I liked the creaminess in this soup, along with the acidity of the tomatoes and sweetness of the roasted carrots, personally. This makes a large pot of soup that will easily feed 10-12 people. If you aren’t wanting to feed that many, it’ll also freeze well and can be thawed throughout the winter for a nice reminder of summertime tomatoes.


Roasted Tomato and Carrot Soup

Ingredients:
6 pounds fresh tomatoes
1½ pounds carrots
1 large white onion
8 cloves of garlic
1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed
fresh thyme
1 oz. fresh basil
4 cups No-Chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup heavy cream
grapeseed or sunflower oil
salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks (about 1½-inches). Peel the carrots and then cut them into pieces about 2-inches long. Cut the onion into quarters. Cut the red bell pepper into large strips. Arrange the tomatoes, carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic cloves on two large baking sheets (three if you need).

Sprinkle the vegetable mixture with fresh thyme (be generous, use as much as you like). Lightly drizzle the oil over each baking sheet, evenly coating everything. Add some salt and fresh ground pepper (don’t over-do it, as you can add more of both these things later). Roast the vegetables for 50-60 minutes, checking them occasionally to make sure nothing is burning.

Place the roasted vegetables (and all the juices) into your food processor or high-power blender (mine fits all these veggies at once, but work them in batches if you need). Add the fresh basil and one cup of the broth. Blend until smooth (4-5 minutes).

Pour the pureed vegetables into a large stock pot. Add the remaining three cups of broth, heavy cream, salt and pepper to your liking. Gently heat the soup on medium-low, to serving temperature. Serve with a good grilled cheese sandwich, or salad. Top with some fresh minced basil if you’d like.

Posted in Appetizer, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Life, Lunch, Sides, Soup, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Happy Halloweenie!

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery


I’ll admit – I’ve never been one to go all out for Halloween. In fact, my anticipation for Halloween probably mimics that of an 85-year-old lady (no offense) rather than someone in their mid-20’s, or teens, or even mid-adult years. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind dressing up if necessary, passing out treats to neighborhood kids (even if they show up at 11 AM like last year), or entertaining those who do love Halloween so very much.

Last Halloween, we threw a little party for the kids in Silas’s class. We live right across from the starting point for Ashland’s Halloween Children’s Parade, so we invited his classmates and their parents over for some quick treats before they started the celebrating. We aren’t doing a party this year, but I thought I’d re-cap some of the food that we included.

I found this recipe for jello worms online and figured they’d be a fun, disgusting, treat for the kids. I don’t usually use jello, but for a one-time event, I figured it was okay. We tossed the “worms” in crushed up Chocolate Cream Newman O’s (Oreos if you’re into them) to look like dirt. The kids were simultaneously grossed out and fascinated: perfect. Even the adults occasionally tried one!

 
I made a large pot full of Martha Stewart’s Shrunken Heads in Cider, although I opted for a non-alcoholic, kid-friendly version, using this recipe as a base. The shrunken heads were ridiculously easy and once baked, they were quite fun and creepy.


Silas requested “Mummy Dogs,” which are simply veggie hot dogs, halved, then wrapped in pastry dough. Eyes can be added with mustard and a toothpick. I used frozen puff pastry dough to make these, but would not do that again. Done again, I’d probably use homemade pizza dough or make these homemade pretzel dogs, but add eyes and wrap them differently. Crescent roll dough would probably work even better than the puff pastry did.


Along with various chips and vegetables, we also put out some “Black Widow Dip,” — simply black bean hummus decorated with a sour cream web. I used this recipe for the hummus, replacing the canned beans with homemade black beans I already had prepared.

That said, I hope you’re having a great Halloween. One last thing. I just re-read this Halloween post from Joy the Baker, from last year… and I suggest you do the same. There is some very important wisdom you will certainly appreciate.

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Homemade Pad Thai with Tofu

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery


Having no real training in cooking, most of my learning has come from wandering into the kitchen with little fear of making huge mistakes. That doesn’t mean that when I have a huge kitchen failure, I don’t get frustrated or swear out loud, or have another beer, vowing to do better next time. A lot of times what I intend to make comes out different than what I had planned. The real trick is simply allowing room for that to happen. I’ve learned that sometimes you need to simply not over-think what could go wrong, or what the perfect method of following through with a recipe might be. Jump in. Make mistakes. Hopefully create something that tastes good.

Oftentimes, after we’ve eaten out, I’ll leave the restaurant wanting to know how to create similar dishes at home without the cost of going out to eat. One dish that has prompted that feeling numerous times is pad thai. I have always been intimidated by the idea of making this dish at home, though. Perhaps because of the use of ingredients I’m not used to. Perhaps because I’ve had REALLY good pad thai and the idea of creating something at least equally as satisfying at home seemed farfetched.

The other day, I approached pad thai with a “what the hell,” attitude. I researched the inter-nets for favorite recipes, for traditional pad thai recipes, for far from traditional pad thai recipes. The overall feeling I walked away with was that there were some key ingredients: fish sauce, tamarind, eggs, peanuts, and rice noodles. The rest? Make something work, pull ingredients that sound as though they’d work well together. The following recipe is the culmination of my experimenting. I would make this again, although I would probably experiment with the sauce more.


Homemade Pad Thai with Tofu

Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. canola oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1- 12.3 oz. box extra-firm silken tofu, cut into ½-inch cubes
1/3 cup fish sauce
3 tbsp. oyster sauce
¼ tsp. red chili pepper flakes
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp. tamarind paste
1 tsp. rice vinegar
juice from one lime
sriracha sauce
¾ cup carrots, julienned
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1½ cups fresh bean sprouts
1- 14 oz. box pad thai style rice noodles
¾ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
3 scallions, chopped
2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

 

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the entire box of noodles, stirring once. Turn off the heat and allow the noodles to sit until completely softened (15-ish minutes). Strain, rinse with cold water, and then set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large cast iron pan, over medium-high heat. Add the sliced shallot and garlic. Sauté until the shallot is tender. Add the cubed tofu, occasionally stirring until the tofu is lightly golden on each side (10 or so minutes). Set the mixture aside in a small bowl until needed.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok or pan. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, red chili flakes, brown sugar, tamarind paste, rice vinegar, fresh lime juice, and your preferred amount of sriracha sauce. Whisk together to combine all the ingredients well. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then add the cooked noodles, scallion-tofu mixture, and julienned carrots. Continuously stir the ingredients together, allowing the sauce to evenly coat everything. Cook until the sauce (and noodles) begin to caramelize on the bottom of the pan (3-5 minutes).

Push the noodles to one side of your pan, then pour the beaten eggs onto the empty side. Gently scramble the eggs until they’re just cooked through, then stir everything in the pan together again. Add in the fresh bean sprouts, scallions, and cilantro.

Remove the pan from the heat, then serve immediately, garnished with the chopped peanuts, slices of lime, and additional chopped scallions and cilantro if you’d like. You can also add more sriracha if you like your noodles even spicier!

Posted in Dinner, Life, Lunch, Sauces, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment