Grab and go breakfast: Apricot Granola Biscuits

I think I've mentioned before how much better the first lecture of the day is with something to munch on. So this evening I made some "healthy" (and sweet) breakfast treats to grab on the way to class (or anywhere really...).


Apricot Granola Biscuits (from The Vegetarian's Cook's Bible by Pat Crocker)

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C)
2 baking sheets lightly oiled (I used parchment paper)

(** The recipe says the yield is 42 biscuits, but I made much bigger ones and got about 1 dozen... just make sure to flatten them out more and cook them a bit longer)

1/2 cup of soy or rice milk (I used cows' milk)
1 large egg
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 cups Whole-Grain Granola (recipe below) or store bought granola
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup chopped apricots
3 tbsp organic cane sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional; I added it)

In a large bowl, beat milk and egg together until frothy. Beat in oil. Stir in granola, flour, apricots, sugar and coconut (if using). Drop by the tablespoon about 1 inch apart onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to cooling rack.

Whole-Grain Granola (from from The Vegetarian's Cook's Bible by Pat Crocker

Makes 6-8 cups (1.5-2 L) of granola

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
2 rimmed baking sheets lightly oiled (I just used parchment paper)

2 cups spelt flakes
1 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking oats)
1/2 cup natural bran or bran flakes cereal (I used the cereal)
2/3 cup chopped almonds (unblanched)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins (I left these out)
1/2 cup dried cranberries

On one prepared baking pan, spread spelt, oats and bran. On the other pan, spread almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and walnuts. Stagger the sheets in preheated oven and toast for 8 minutes. Remove nuts and seeds from oven and let cool. Stir grains and continue toasting for another 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat honey, cinnamon and ginger over medium heat until just simmering. Turn off heat and keep pan on the element to keep the mixture warm.

Transfer toasted grains to a large bowl. Stir in toasted seeds and nuts. Drizzle with warm honey mixture. Add apricots, raisins and cranberries and stir lightly to mix. Let cool.

Store granola in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Winter Root Vegetable Salad

I'm all about using the internet for any food recipes I may need, but sometimes it is nice to have a coordinated selection of recipes to browse through. So last week I finally broke down and bought my second vegetarian cook book.

For the past few years I've been living out of "The Clueless Vegetarian" by Evelyn Raab. It's a great starter book: it explains the different types of vegetarians, introduces you to alternative protein and iron rich foods gently (lots of beans, tofu, seitan, tempeh, etc.), helps you and your family work with your vegetarian-ness so you can all eat peacfully, and helps out with lots of other necessities otherwise lost on someone new to the diet.

I thought it was finally time to purchase another veggie book, and I ended up selecting "The Vegetarian Cook's Bible" by Pat Crocker. I'm really enjoying the book: there is a ton of information about different fruits, veggies and herbs, including nutritional info, when they are in season, how to store them and what to do with them. She also includes recipes to create your own spice mixtures, such as red and green curries, Cajun and Ethiopian Hot Pepper as well as tea blends. Best of all, her recipes are seasonal (she must be Canadian), and often she includes suggestions on how to make a summer dish with what's available during the cold months and vice-versa.


This is the second recipe I've tried from the book (the first was a mushroom-barley soup with chocolate) and both turned out well.

Warm Root Vegetable Salad with Winter Vegetable Dressing

2 beets; trimmed and quartered (I didn't have beets handy so left them out)
2 small turnips; trimmed and quartered (I grabbed rutabaga instead)
2 carrots cut into large chunks
1 parsnip cut into large chunks
(I added one small sweet potato as well)
1/2 onion chopped into large chunks (I used red)
1 can (10 oz/300 g) water chestnuts; drained and chopped (I omitted these)
1/3 cup Winter Vegetable Dressing (recipe below)

In a small saucepan, cover beets with water. Cover and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool slightly, then slip skins off.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover turnips, carrots and parsnip with water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool slightly (I cooked everything a bit less, drained it, then through it all into the oven with the onion chunks, olive oil, salt and pepper to roast everything slightly).

In a large bowl, toss the cooked veggies, onion and water chestnuts with the Winter Vegetable Dressing, Serve warm or at room temperature.

Winter Vegetable Dressing

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp curry; home-made or store-bought (I used store bought)
2 tsp organic can sugar (I used some Agave nectar)

In a jar with a lid or small bowl, combine oil, orange juice, vinegar, curry and sugar. Shake or whisk well to mix.

Eggs, eggs, eggs: Cheese Soufflé

Last week I spotted the January issue of City Palate at the Movie Store, so I snagged it for a quick read in between studying. The theme on the cover stated "Cheap Eats," and with me returning to school once again and our relocation to a new neighborhood, Zed and I are definitely on the hunt for some of those.

Upon closer inspection the cheap eats turned out to be eggs and left over turkey. The turkey was out for me, but we had somehow accumulated a couple dozen eggs over the holidays (baking that never happened, pancakes never made, etc.) that needed to be used before they reached their end. Two recipes appealed to me and seemed well within my grasp: the Cheese Soufflé and the Barefoot Contessa's (aka. Ina Garten's) baked eggs (the latter I have made before... they are amazing).

I don't have an 8" soufflé dish and figured purchasing one would make the dish less of a "cheap eat," so instead I divided the cheesy batter into 6 smaller ramekins - this seemed to work out well. I also added about an inch of water to the bottom of the tray to keep them from drying out.

Before

The soufflé turned out fairly well: they actually rose, which I doubted they would at first and they had a nice cheesy, crusty top layer with lots of soft egg beneath. If I made this again though, I think I might add some onion, or even a vinegary salad on the side to cut through the richness of the milk and cheese, otherwise, they were lovely.

After

CHEESE SOUFFLÉ (from City Palate)

Tips (from City Palate): Have a light hand when folding in the egg whites, and don't open the oven door when they are cooking. Make sure you serve them as soon as the come out of the oven, as they will fall shortly afterwards.

3 T butter, plus extra to grease the dish
1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano, and a bit extra for sprinkling
3 T flour
1 cup Milk; scalded (I used 2%)
Sea salt and fresh-cracked black pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
5 extra large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/2 cup cheese, crumbled (Roquefort, extra-old Gouda, or aged cheddar - I used Cheddar)
5 extra large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 t cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Butter the inside of an 8 inch soufflé dish and lightly sprinkle with Parmigiano.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Take off heat and whisk in hot milk, salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute until smooth and thick.

Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time. Stir in cheese and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (I did this by hand with an old fashioned whisk for a fantastic upper arm workout). Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until firm, glossy peaks form.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten, then fold in the rest. Pour into the soufflé dish and smooth the top. Take a knife or spatula and draw a large circle along the top as this helps the soufflé rise evenly. Place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 °F. Bake for 30-35 minutes (less if in ramekins; I over did mine a bit) until puffed and golden brown. Serve Immediately. Serves 4.

Back to the grind

It is always strange to venture back to normal life after the holidays, and today Zed headed off to work and I was attending my first day of Winter Semester classes (the latter was definitely a shock after taking Fall off of school). We decided to "celebrate" with pasta, and since we needed a new bottle of olive oil, it was the perfect evening to head over to the Italian Center for the necessary ingredients.

So, after first-day-of-semester errands, I headed downtown to meet Zed. We hopped the number three over to the Shop, grabbed a couple baskets (we are careful not to grab a cart here, since its filling automatically means we will need a new mode of transportation home - we have experienced this at other food locations before), and began to peruse.

We grabbed a number of tasty treats: maple waffle cookies, lots of dried and frozen pastas, a couple loaves of bread, mushrooms, garlic, basil, a few cans of roma tomatoes and our much needed bottle of olive oil.

Dinner this evening was a rich tomato sauce, full of onion, garlic, basil and spinach, served over Gnocchi, with a loaf of fresh bread and butter.

Our main was followed by a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some of the maple wafers we purchased earlier this evening.