Elisa's Eye on the World

Applesauce Mini Chocolate Chip Protein Powder Bread

For years I have made Mollie Katzen's pumpkin and banana breads with protein powder and assorted add-ins. I finally noticed her third option with applesauce and gave it a try in the new KAF bread pan.  It's not shown in the on line recipe from her site but it's an exchange of the banana for the same amount of unsweetened applesauce, and adding a tsp. of Cinnamon.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

What can be better than cookies with:

• Dutch chocolate (for color)
• Milk chocolate chips (for texture)
• Genuine mint extract (for surprise)
• Butter and sugar (for gooey texture)

??

These are simply the best cookies, and I thank Mollie Katzen for sharing the recipe in her Still Life with Menu cookbook.

List of Cooking and Baking Projects

Dear Readers;

I'm back, and do apologize for the lack of posts this past month.  With Thanksgiving just a week away and some time on my hands, I got the shopping out of the way so now I can move through the list.

Done:

• Yogurt muffins with mini chocolate chips and cherries from the freezer. These came out great and I'd call them Cherry Garcia muffins if it was not an obvious copyright infraction.
• Quinoa with avocado and greens with a citrus dressing
• Brocolli quiche with rice at the bottom instead of crust
• Hub's Awesome burritos with brown rice

To Do:

• Mollie Katzen's "Sweet Potato Surprise" a seasonal favorite
• Mollie's "Ricotta and Spinach Dip" to serve with baked potatoes
• Baked shells stuffed with green and cheese
• A rice, tomato, feta and shrimp dish similar to the one the neighborhood Greek place makes
• Joy of Cooking "Macaroni and Cheese" this time doubling the recipe so there's some on hand in the freezer
• Jane Brody's "Favorite Lentil Soup"
• Cheddar Cheese scones from a new cookbook I've been pursuing

Oh oh- time to serve tonight's dinner. Photos and further updates to follow.

-Elisa

Three Stage Eggplant Parmesan

I spotted these slender lovelies at our natural food market - that's about 2 lbs. I got home and scanned some cookbooks which reminded me: do not refrigerate - highly perishable.

1. Step I.  Rinse and pat dry, I sliced them in to 1/4 rounds for baking on a parchment paper lined, canola sprayed pan. Once cut they turn brown fast, I brushed the tops with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  The pan was full but not crowded and cooked nicely in the pre-heated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. No flipping, they are too tender. Once they looked brown, they were removed from the oven and cooled. Truth is the were stowed in the fridge till the next day.
2. I came up with this step, which is usually part of the first one but I was not ready to do so on Friday. The eggplant bits are best when covered in tasty breadcrumbs so there's a crunchy outside and creamy soft inside. Traditionally, this is done by deep frying. No thanks. I mixed up an egg with 2/3 cup of non-fat milk and poured it over the roasted eggplant while they were still in the glass container you see above. Meanwhile I mixed up 2 cups of breadcrumbs with some basil (garden fresh), thyme and oregano as suggested by Mollie Katzen. Once again lining a baking sheet with parchment, I dipped each bit and lined them up on the  tray for the second bake. The liquid was nicely absorbed and held the crumbs together. I baked all this for about 20 minutes.
3. Finally time to assemble. Following cues from Mollie and the Joy of Cooking I layered a nice totmato mushroom jarred sauce in a deep pan, followed by 1/2 the crispy eggplant and 1/4 lbs. of Provolone (instead of Mozzeraella, as suggested by a Mainer friend.) More sauce, more eggplant... ...more cheese, then topped with sliced romas dipped in the remaining crumb mixture and some grated Parmesan. Soon as the oven was pre-heated this went in and I started a short pot of water from some thin spaghetti.  

Here's the pan after  I cut the first slice: nice and firm, so the second one was easy too. The remaining four were wrapped in wax paper and stowed in the freezer. Oh. So. Good.

Busy Baking Bee

Yikes! I'm taking advantage of the cool July days and catching up on baking. Already done:

• Pizza Dough (1 used, 1 stowed)
• Pizza (gone already)
• Strawberry Muffins II (mostly stashed in freezer)
• Granola (stowed in air tight glass in the fridge, with a scoop)
• Blueberry Bread (sliced and stowed in fridge)

• Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for Sunday's bike ride/party

On deck baking and cooking projects:

• Burritos for dinner tonight
• Orzo salad with lots of our ready to eat peas
• Macaroni and cheese because it's all gone
• Caramalized onions, to have as a condiments

Pizza from Scratch Rules

I was glowing with pride when I pulled this pie from the oven.

Mollie Katzen's Still Life with Menu (page 226)  crust (doubled since my pan is big), pizza sauce (canned), slowly roasted onions with thyme and bay leaf; chopped fresh spinach, a mix of mozzerella, provelone and blue cheese and chopped walnuts.

Thanks again to L. in Cambridge for all the great tips on making dough. No food processor, no stand mixer. No 500 degree oven preheated for an hour or pizza stone and peels are needed. My oven was 425 and the rack in the upper third and it came out righteous. So there!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mollie Katzen recipe from "the blue book" Still Life with Menu:

1. Butter
2. Sugar
3. Unadulterated peanut butter (i.e. from the grinder with Valencia peanuts)
4. Vanilla
5. Egg
6. Flour (white/whole wheat mix)
7. Salt
8. Baking Soda
9. Water
10. Milk chocolate chips

The ingredients are numbered, because it highlights how few there are; with that in mind look at the list on any similar packaged cookie. I'd rather eat (and share) these.

This can be made with a good hand mixer versus big,stand mixer which many heavy cookie batters "require."

Mollie's Very Crunchy Granola

This is my favorite granola recipe, though it's been ages since I made it. From Mollie's "breakfast book" Sunlight Cafe. This reminded me to have some with plain yogurt for lunch...all this posting is making me hungry!

Mollie Katzen All-Star Cookie Recipes

Oatmeal Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. Both recipes are in the "blue books" Still Life with Menu.

At any given party or occassions these cookies are standouts. Give 'em a try!

Baking Brightens Grey December Days

Blueberry cake in square instead of loaf pan, so berries pulled from the freezer don't over-goo the batter.

Mac-and-cheese

Mollie Katzen Oatmeal Cookies/chocolate chip variation; with Theo's Nibs, Guittard chips, plump raisins, organic oats.

Mollie's Pumpkin, Protein Powder 'n Chocolate Chip Bread

 
In Glass Bowl: eggs, pumpkin, canola, vanilla

In Big Bowl: flour, protein powder, sugar, baking powder, salt, semi-sweet chocolate chips

One of the keys to quick breads is thoroughly mixing the wet and dry ingredients before they are combined. This big wood spatula worked great; the dry stuff is more of a toss. Be careful not to be too enthusastic as ingredients will fly out of the bowl.

Variations are shown at the bottom. I almost always make the banana bread version, replacing vanilla for the almond extract.

The on line recipe is different from my first edition Sunlight with Menu. Most of the loaf is on the way to a trail work party with Hubs up north. I hope the gang (esp. Healin' L.) enjoys it!

Deep Dish Vegetable Pizza with Walnuts

Yesterday was another cool rainy Sunday of baking, I decided to try individual deep dish pizza again. The sad news is the crust was too tough, as Hubs said the "first deep dish pizza you can pick up and eat with your hands."

Of course crust taste and texture is never revealed until it's time to eat. The good news is the pictures came out great and pizza was very tasty:  we each ate ours with glee. Tough crust is not so bad compared to other pizza disasters in my past such as the Super Bowl Sunday when the lovingly made thin crust adhered itself to the new pan. No pretty.

These pans are seasoned, but I took no chances a rubbed a little olive oil into each with a sprinkle of corn meal before pressing in the dough.

Fillings were: canned pizza sauce, a saute of red onion, red pepper and mushrooms with a spice blend of rosemary, oregano and basil. Cheese was mozzarella and Parmesan and the final topping chopped walnuts.
The recipe is translated as: pre-bake crusts for 10 minutes in a 425 degree oven; put sauce over browned crust followed by topping mixture and cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes; though it was slightly less because the oven was nice and hot.

Mollie's Pasta with Swiss Chard and Blue Cheese

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

sunflower oil to coat bottom of deep pan

1 bunch Swiss Chard, rinsed and chopped

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 lb. Italian dried pasta cooked al dente

Crumbled cheese from the fridge: 1/2 container of Blue cheese; 1 container Goat, but as the recipe's name implies Feta would be perfect

The adjusted for cheese on hand recipe is based on the "Pasta with Greens and Feta" in from Mollie Katzen's fabulous Still Life with Menu cookbook.

An onion was thinly sliced and sauteed in sunflower oil, then chopped Swiss Chard added with 1/8 tsp. salt and sauteed another 15 minutes. This was added to some twirl shaped Italian dried pasta along with ~2 ounces Amish Blue Cheese and 4 ounces of Canadian Goat Cheese. Amazingly delicious!

Happy Thanksgiving Readers

I am thankful today for many things; including the ability to share cooking, biking and gardening pictures and stories with readers all over the world. From Australia to Japan to Czech Republic all corners of the USA I appreciate your readership and thank you for your interest and time. -eos

Shown above: Sweet Potato Surprise 2009, without the apricot or nut topping. Those are added later since much is served as leftover. Soggy nuts=sad face.

Here's a great way to serve leftovers and store in freezer:

Bake in flour tortillas, with a nice covering of chopped fresh spinach. Roll and bake on parchment (to collect drips) @ 375 degrees for about 30-40 minutes. They should be golden, flip once if you can. When tapped, the center should be hollow sounding. Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream. Top with chopped apricots or nuts if you have the room. Very filling and oh-so-good-for-you.

Here's Mollie Katen's recipe.

Double Batch of Carrot Muffins

Fresh from the oven, a double batch of Mollie Katzen "Carrot" muffins - although I substituted a mix of raisins and chopped pecans for the currants; and mixed OJ with fresh lemon juice so there was enough.

Pad Thai with Green Beans

Using the leftover rice noodles from our Sunday dinner with Guest Chef T., I pulled together this Pad Thai of Sorts dish, served with green beans because that's what we had. Also, some "chicken tenders" were added for texture and protein. The sauce idea was based on Mollie Katzen's dish from her beloved Still Life with Menu.

Spring Lasagna

This cheese lasagna has one layer of roasted grated carrot and chopped steamed cauliflower and broccoli. The cheese mix is: mozzarella, ricotta, cottage with Parmesan on top. The sauce was a mix of one jar of Muir Glen and a large can of whole Italian tomatoes, simmered for about an hour with a cup of table wine stirred in at the end.

Melon Salad and Yogurt with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

The melon salad was honey dew and cantaloupe; the yogurt plain non-fat and sauce a homemade concoction of strawberries, rhubarb, sugar and orange juice - topped with chopped walnuts.

Mollie Katzen Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Peanut Butter - right from the grinding machine - no filler
• Sugar - only 3/4 cup
• Chips - from the bulk bin: economical and delicious
• Shape - the teaspoon scooper made short work of 3 trays

Mollie Katen's "Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies"

The actual recipe replaces orange with black coffee, but that does not work for me. I also kept the cinnamon. Grinding 1/2 of the chocolate so it mixes into the batter is a great idea. And a batch of cookies with 3-1/2 cups of organic steel cut oats is not a bad thing.

Mollie Katen Oatmeal Cookie Variation Ingredients

Oatmeal cookie ingredients ready for mixing. In the oversized bowl is brown sugar mixed with unsalted butter with an egg beat in. In the center there's a container of cinnamon and some orange juice. To the right, the food processor bowl with steel cut oats that were pulsed to a nice texture. And the real special ingredient, 1 cup of chocolate chips that went through the food processor until powdery and another cup of regular chips. Time to turn on the oven.

Sweet Potato Suprise

It would not be Thanksgiving (weekend) without Mollie Katzen's "Sweet Potato Surprise" - and  I thank one of my readers for pointing out the link to the full recipe was not previously posted.

This has become a tradition in my kitchen - lots of seasonal produce, like the yams and sweet potato shown here, right before they were mixed into the fruit mixture on the right.

That's the surprise: pears, bananas, ginger, cinnamon and allspice; which are then pureed with apple and lemon juice. Some chopped apricots are stirred in and nuts are spread on top before baking. An ordeal to prepare but it makes a nice sized casserole that freezes well in small portions.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies

Happy Birthday A! My adaptation of Mollie's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookie. I mixed in with the chocolate chips, some "Sundrops" which are the natural food store version of M&Ms. Both were run through the food processor which shaves the candy of its outer coating, leaving a sweet powder that mixes in nicely with the batter.

The peanut butter is unadulterated of course.

Indian Summer Casserole

The idea for this Indian Summer Casserole comes from cooking guru Mollie Katzen. I added roasted Yukon Gold potato slices to the bottom layer.

Lasagna Ingredients and the Shiny New Pan

Classic Lasagna in a New and Larger Pyrex Pan

Dear readers. I am behind in my posts, and will attempt to catch up today, starting happenings in the end of March.

This lasagna, baked in a new Pyrex pan came out wonderfully, and was the basis for a few meals while company was here a few weeks ago. Many thanks to D who read the layering order to me from The New Moosewood Cookbook.

There was room for 4 noodles across instead of three. One noodle was cut in thirds to fill in the ends. The last 2 slices went to the freezer, and were enjoyed last night.

Bulgur Chili

Servings of chili never look good in photos, so here are the two glass storage bowls of the entire batch.

The recipe in Mollie Katzen's classic New Moosewood Cookbook for "Vegetarian Chili" includes the ancient wheat grain bulgur in places of ground beef. I used both pinto and kidney beans and not too much seasoning.

Banana Bread Cross Section

Fresh Banana Bread - a slice for tomorrow and the rest to the freezer; individually wrapped in waxed paper, and stowed in an airtight container. This loaf features protein powder and walnuts.

Peaches, Homemade Granola and Plain Yogurt

Lovely peaches from Twin Spring Farms with my own granola, fresh from the oven, topped with plain yogurt - oh my!

Blueberry, Banana, Walnut and Protein Powder Bread

There was 1 cup of smashed banana, and a cup of blueberries on hand. I combined them and essentially followed a Mollie Katzen recipe (where I exchange chopped walnuts for the chips, canola for butter and vanilla for almond extract).

D., sorry I did not make this during your visit!

Four July 4 Salads

Regular readers know, I don't prepare "traditional holiday fare."

Here's what is in the line up for the odd mid-week holiday so we can relax:

1. Fruit Salad: local strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe and kiwi - also have a few apricots and plums to eat out of hand.

2. Rice Salad: brown rice coated with a secret dressing mixed with chopped sweet peppers, and celery, topped with peanuts and bean spouts

3. Yukon Gold Potato Salad: the lightest amount of Canola mayo, chopped celery and red onion

4. Quinoa Tabbouleh: no icky cucumber. Mint, parsley, lemon juice, tomatoes

These will be staged over Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving grab and go leftovers for the rest of the week. Or at least that's the plan for now.

Rice Salad

The always pleasing favorite from Mollie Katzen, served up on plastic plates for outside dining.

Stir Fry with Tofu and Homemade Peanut Sauce

Using the homemade peanut sauce posted yesterday; here's another delicious dinner served over a bed of brown rice. I'm not a big fan of tofu, but following the instructions from this Mollie Katzen recipe idea, I may be a convert.

I used broccoli, spinach and celery because that's what we had on hand, but her green bean idea sounds fantastic.

Lasagna topped with Wild Mushroom Bruschetta

The last slices of lasagna were pulled from the freezer tonight, enhanced as follows:
*Additional sauce was added to bottom of glass pan and top of slices
*After baking in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, "Wild Mushroom Bruschetta," a portabella, shitake & crimimi mushrooms marinated with roasted tomatoes, olive oil & garlic spread from the local deli was added, before returning to bake another 10 minutes
*Freshly grated Parmesan cheese was added to the top before serving
*The fresh green vegetable was chopped local rainbow chard sauteed in olive oil

Rice Salad

Loosely based on a recipe from Mollie's Katzen's "The New Moosewood Cookbook" this is a rice salad with fresh vegetables, nuts and raisins. A perfect non-traditional dinner for this Labor Day.

Oven Fresh Banana Bread

Over time, I've learned to removed the upper rack in the oven before baking quick bread. Also, let the loaf set before trying to remove it.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Using the Mollie Katzen recipe from the "Still Life with Menu" cookbook, I made a batch of cookies this rainy morning for a friend's 50th birthday.

The key here is unadulterated PB, right from a machine ground right it into your jar - Organic California Valencia peanuts, no added oil, etc. 

Semi-sweet chips are called for (I used Ghirardelli brand). As an added treat, I ground up some M&M type candies from the bulk bin at the natural food market.

An ice-cream scoop makes fast work of making the actual cookies. I'm converted.

Don't forget to use a fork to flatten down the peanut butter cookie dough for even baking and stylish marks.

Classic Lasagna

Nothing fancy, but perfect for a holiday dinner where tradition is not your bag. I made one last month for Thanksgiving and another yesterday for Christmas.

Serving suggestion: see Spinach Salad post.

Sweet Potato Surprise

Everyone asks me about the "surprise" ingredients in Mollie Katzen's Sweet Potato Surprise casserole.  Here are some of them:
*apple juice
*lemon juice
*chopped dried apricots
* grated fresh ginger
* allspice,cinnamon and salt

Besides a few pounds of peeled sweet potatos, boiled until soft, the other ingredients are: pears, bananas and hazelnuts.

It's all pureed before baking - in the end, it resembles baby food to tell you the truth.

Our favorite way of enjoying this dish is in a flour tortilla, topped with chopped spinach, baked for about 20 minutes. Serve topped with plain yogurt.

Oatmeal Cookies

 Today was a great day to make oatmeal cookies based on a time tested recipe from Mollie Katzen's "Still Life With Menu" .

The difference is in the details:  starting with steel cut oats, pulsed a few times in the food processor. We don't often use butter, but it's necessary for cookies, and I splurged on the unsalted organic variety for best taste. Orange juice is the secret sweetener (along with brown sugar), and cinnamon adds the right touch. Chopped walnuts and a good amount of raisins make them almost a meal.

Indian Summer Casserole

A late summer favorite, based on a Mollie Katzen classic, this was made with fresh local, organic produce. The list can seem overwhelming- so this is a good dish to prepare in stages. During the heat of the afternoon, I quickly cooked the corn and cut off the kernels. Waiting for the corn water to boil, the vegetables were chopped and stored in a bowl.

Later, when it was cooler and closer to dinner the vegetables were quickly prepared in a pan, and dairy ingredients added. The various seasonings can be set aside in little bowls in advance. 
::: I ran out of paprika to dust on top :::

Served with a little pesto, this filling dish brings together the tastes of summer. The leftovers went right to the freezer for future lunches.

Banana Bread

I was never a fan of banana bread - but after discovering this Mollie Katzen recipe,  I was hooked -- and as she says, it freezes great.

Substitute the chocolate chips with equal amount of chopped walnuts to keep the slices more nutritional. Since I don't have almond extract, I just skip it- but always use real vanilla. Protein powder is available in the bulk bins of natural food stores- and well worth it. Also, following Mollie's advice, use canola in place of the butter to minimize the bad fat.

Tips: Since bananas very in size, it's sometimes hard to tell how many will be needed. Since in baking every measurement must be accurate, keep track by smashing them with a wooden spoon in a large glass bowl with measurements, like this one. Sometimes I mash them the night before, snap on the lid and bake in the morning if they are getting too ripe to sit on the counter.

If you enjoy baking, you might want to invested in a stoneware loaf pan. The loaf cooks more evenly and rises to the point where I take out the upper rack. Maybe that's the Rumford baking powder.

Don't hurry the cooling time so it comes out in one piece. Got Milk?

Very Crunchy Granola

Making your own granola is fun, and it's easy to customize the ingredients to your taste. I bake a batch every 2 months or so of the Mollie Katzen variety from her "Sunlight Cafe" book. We put most of it in the freezer, the rest in the fridge and use a few tablespoons on top of cereal in the morning. The most expensive ingredients are soy protein powder and almonds, but there's only a cup of each required. Both are incredibly good for you too. It's handy to have a food processor to cut the oats and chop the almonds. Make sure you have a really big bowl to mix everything and a jelly roll type pan for baking, as shown in the photo. I usually have to vacuum the kitchen floor afterwards as ingredients will fly around in the process of mixing and turning. Her estimate of 10 minutes prep is low, it takes me about 30 minutes to get everything together. Then, 45 minutes to bake - turning it once half-way through. Also allow time for it to cool on the counter before putting in containers and storing in the fridge/freezer.

Four Reliable Cookbooks

Two writer impacted my interest and competency in cooking - Mollie Katzen and Jane Brody. They are both brilliant in their ability to explain the how what and when of preparing wholesome foods. Both have published numerous books, but my hand's down favorites four cookbooks of all time are:

Still Life with Menu  by Mollie Katzen
All the lovely dishes assembled in special occasion menu format are present with prepare ahead instructions. The Veggie-Thanksgiving selections are wonderful, especially the Sweet Potato Surprise. We serve up leftovers in a wrap along with fresh spinach. Roll up and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes and you have a portable meal. Tips on vegetable roasting and home made pizza are especially helpful.

Sunlight Cafe by Mollie Katzen
Published in 2002, this book is a primer on breakfast foods. Personal favorites in my household include the Very Crunchy Granola and Pumpkin Bread.

Good Food Book  by Jane Brody
Originally published in 1985 there are a few variations and printings available of this classic . The Favorite Lentil Soup and Meatless Tamale Pie are both simple to prepare- and freeze beautifully.

Good Food Gourmet  by Jane Brody
This companion volume dresses up dishes for company or special occasions, without going overboard. The Broccoli Tomato Quiche is splendid. Save time with a prepared, yet wholesome  crust from the freezer section of the health food store.