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Category: Recipes (page 2 of 10)

Pantry and Freezer Clean-Out (Yay, Spiced Banana Loaf)

I cook lunch and dinner on most days.

P and I take lunch to work in Thermos containers that keep the food warm for hours. A long time ago (or so it seems), I used to cook extra food for dinner, and we took the leftovers for lunch the following day. Then something changed (and I don’t recall what it is). I began cooking lunch every morning. We discovered that Thermos containers are true to their word. The steaming dal blew my mind (and P’s too). We were instant converts. Now I cannot fathom eating leftovers for lunch. There is clearly something to be said for the sheer deliciousness that is freshly cooked food. There is a certain juiciness to it, an indescribable rasa that renders the food sublime and delicious and utterly satisfying.

You’d think that a kitchen as heavily used as ours would see a high turnover of ingredients and supplies. That’s certainly true for some varieties of dals and beans, fresh produce, bread, avocados, dates (we seem to consume them in crazy quantities, we do), etc. However, there are certain ingredients that lurk on pantry and freezer shelves for a long while. So I have decided to start using those “silent actors” and clear them out.

Made a delicious Spiced Banana Loaf yesterday. Proud to say that I cleaned out the following items for this endeavor: spelt flour, almond meal, broken cashews. I also used white whole wheat flour that has been sitting in the freezer for a while now.

This is a vegan recipe that uses coconut oil. I use the organic, unrefined type of coconut oil and it is fairly flavorless. The original recipe called for 1.5 cups of chocolate chips but I used a blend of cranberries, black raisins, cashews and cocoa nibs instead. Can I just say that mix is a whole lot more interesting than plain old chocolate chips?

Spiced Banana Loaf

The end result was moist, mildly sweet (I used a third of the quantity of sugar mentioned in the original recipe), perfectly spiced. I couldn’t carve out neat slices, instead ending up with little misshapen slabs.

So, if you would like to sample these little bits of deliciousness, please stop by. I am a little shy to tote them out this time. 🙂

The original recipe is at NY Times Cooking – Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Cake.

Ingredients

2 cups flour (I used a mix of spelt flour, white whole wheat flour and almond meal)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
A couple pinches of salt
1 cup mashed bananas
1 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup coconut oil (unrefined, organic)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (cashews, dried cranberries, black raisins, cocoa nibs)

Method

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.

In a separate bowl, whisk together bananas, coconut milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Fold in the dried fruit and nut and cocoa nibs mix. Stir well.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean with a few crumbs clinging to it.

Transfer on to a cooling rack. Carefully turn it over, so the bottom does not get too moist.

Cut into wedges, enjoy.

Cardamom Orange Bread

Orange zest. Cardamom. Applesauce. Green raisins. Maple syrup. Vanilla.

Are you drooling yet?

Cardamom Orange Bread

Cardamom Orange Bread

This is my take on Shauna’s Gluten-Free Cardamom Apple Bread. I felt like giving this fragrant bread a different name, so here it is… Cardamom Orange Bread.

P declared this as the “best thing you have ever baked.” I might just agree with him.

Ingredients

8 whole pods of cardamom
225g flour (I used a mix of spelt flour and almond meal)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
A couple pinches of salt
2 eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Zest of 1 orange
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
handful of green raisins

Grind the cardamom seeds using a mortal pestle. Discard the outer shells. Or you can drop them in the container where you store black tea, as I did.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan.

In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom. Set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients, namely coconut oil, vanilla, applesauce and eggs with orange zest in another bowl. Whisk until all ingredients are combined well.

Incorporate the dry ingredient mix, adding a little at a time, in to the wet mixture, stirring all the while. Stir in the raisins.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Let the bread cool for a 15 minutes in the pan.

Transfer on to a cooling rack. Carefully turn the bread over, so the bottom does not get too moist.

Cut into wedges, enjoy.

Notes

Fragrant warming cardamom and cinnamon, fresh and vibrant orange zest, juicy raisins, softly melting applesauce… What is NOT to love?

I used a rough mix of spelt flour and almond meal.

Shauna’s recipe called for double the amount of applesauce. I didn’t have as many apples at home, so I could only add 2/3 cup. I don’t think the recipe suffered at all, though.

Fresh Ginger Spice Cake

Fresh Ginger Spice Cake

Ginger is one of my favorite spices. I adore it in all forms. Fresh ginger is something I add to almost everything Indian I cook. Dal, khichdi, curries, soups… all of them get a generous addition of ginger – chopped or shredded. My daily cup of masala chai depends on fresh ginger for the zing and sharpness. Last India trip, I brought back to the U.S. a big knob of fragrant dried ginger (“chukkuh” in Malayalam). It liberally perfumed the plastic bag it came in. I add generous doses of dried ginger powder (“soonth”) to spice cookies and cakes. We are loyal consumers of all manner of herbal ginger teas (Yogi, Traditional Medicinals, Pukka, etc.)

I think I waited too long to make this cake, no?

Here is the original recipe. I have tweaked quantities and substituted ingredients in my version, so please read both recipes before you start baking!

Ingredients

80g fresh ginger, peeled
2/3 cup organic unsulphured molasses
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs, at room temperature (I used Ener-G egg replacer)

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a loaf pan with oil or non-stick spray.
  • Chop the ginger finely. Or you can use a mixer/grinder to shred it finely.
  • Combine the shredded ginger, molasses, sugar and olive oil in a large bowl.
  • Mix the flour, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper in another bowl.
  • Bring the water to boil in a saucepan, add baking soda. Stir the water into the molasses mixture.
  • Incorporate the dry ingredients in to the molasses mixture.
  • Add the egg replacer to the batter. Mix well until combined thoroughly.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for an hour until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. If the top of the cake starts browning before the cake is done, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and continue baking.
  • Let the cake cool for a good 30 minutes.
  • Cut into wedges, enjoy.

Notes

  • This cake is a beautiful blend of the sweet and spicy. The dark sweetness of the molasses perfectly complements the warm spices.
  • I used spelt flour in place of whole wheat flour.
  • The original recipe called for 120g of fresh ginger. However, the kind of fresh ginger we buy is very intense, so I reduced the quantity to 80g instead.
  • I used a loaf pan that was clearly the wrong size. The cake swelled up and started overflowing down the sides of the pan. The original recipe calls for a 9-inch springform pan or a 9inch x 3inch cake pan, neither of which I own. Well, the cake swelled like crazy, finally collapsing in the center. Next time, I will use a larger baking utensil.
  • I think this cake could benefit from the addition of dried cranberries and/or black raisins.

Sesame Coconut Cookies

I chanced upon Love Food Eat a while ago and, I am sure, like most visitors, fell in love with Chinmayie’s gorgeous photography and drool-inducing recipes. Her recipe for Kashayam was a hit! It is my morning beverage of choice, coupled with a slice of toasted multi-grain spelt bread. I also loved her recipe for Sprouted Horse Gram Curry.

Here are the results from the latest cooking experiment, inspired by Love Food Eat’s recipe for Vegan Sesame Coconut Cookies.

Sesame Coconut Cookies

Sesame Coconut Cookies

I adapted Chinmayie’s recipe, adding in my own substitutions and proportions. The end result is a mildly sweet cookie, crumbly in texture and hearty in flavor.

Ingredients

2 cups spelt flour
2/3 cup of sugar (I used a variety of organic cane sugar)
1 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup of roasted sesame seeds
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup of sunflower seed butter

Method

  • Combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
  • Pour the wet ingredients one by one mixing slowly till the dough comes together. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven at 350 F.
  • Line the baking tray with a parchment paper. Place a small amount of dough between your palms and press to make cookies.
  • Place them on the baking tray leaving a little gap in between the cookies.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes just as the bases starts to brown.
  • Let the cookies cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container and enjoy.

Notes

  • I used spelt flour in place of whole wheat flour.
  • The original recipe called for a whole cup of sugar but I only used 2/3 of it. My version resulted in mildly sweet cookies.
  • I began using 1/2 cup of coconut oil but the dough felt too dry, and so I added another 1/4 cup.
  • I had no cinnamon and used cardamom instead. I thought it would be a good spice to add to the sesame-coconut combination. Unfortunately, the flavor wasn’t even discernible. Next time, I will add double the amount.
  • I had a bottle of sunflower seed butter in the refrigerator that I used in place of tahini paste (as called for in Chinmayie’s recipe).