My family has been working on home-made naan recipes for years. Naan is traditionally made in the tandoor, a clay oven which you're not likely to have at home in America, so I once thought we would never get them quite right.
Making Naan at Home
My family has been working on home-made naan recipes for years. Naan is traditionally made in the tandoor, a clay oven which you're not likely to have at home in America, so I once thought we would never get them quite right.
MPG Original Pancakes!
When you make food from scratch, you know all the ingredients in what you eat and serve to family and friends. Pancakes are often made from a boxed mix, but they are just as easy and much better when made from scratch! You and your loved ones will be healthier and happier if you make pancakes from scratch, and I am happy to share my recipe and tips to show you how :)
Last November, I wrote about my experiments with pancake batter. I challenged myself to not only create my own batter recipe, but also to make it eggless and vegan. During one attempt my batter wasn't quite right for pancakes, so I invented my unmeasured pancake muffins.
I continued chasing the perfect, eggless pancake batter, and this time I really have it! It was not easy to create my own recipe, but with my recipe, pancakes from scratch are easy to make :)
Below are local blueberries I had frozen last summer to use this winter, a pancake in the works, and a close-up showing the texture and plating of my pancakes.
I used:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tspn salt
1 tspn baking powder
1 tspn baking soda
2 tspns brown sugar
1/4 tspn freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tspn saigon cinnamon
1 egg replaced with Ener-G Egg Replacer
1.5 cup water, slightly more if you prefer a looser batter
1/2 cup local blueberries
handful of chopped pistachios for garnish
favorite fruit or maple syrup to serve with
My method:
1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Prepare the egg-replacer and keep it separate until you are ready to use the batter.
3. Add egg-replacer, water, and blueberries to the dry ingredients. Mix until there are no lumps, but don't over-mix!
4. Spoon out the batter on a greased griddle or pan on medium-high. I used Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread (it's vegan!) to grease my pan.
5. Cook one side until you see bubbles like in the photo above.
6. Flip it, then let it cook for about half the time you cooked the first side. You'll see the edges come off the pan, or you can lift an edge to peek and see that it's done. Do not flip the pancake more than once or it will get chewy! The key is to make sure the first side is cooked before flipping it one and only one time.
7. Pack in your favorite fruits, pour on your favorite syrup, dress with fruits or nuts, and enjoy! I served mine with chopped pistachios and marionberry syrup.
Why I Created MPG Original Pancakes
For last few years I lived in New York, I was spoilt by a local mill named Hansmann's. They produced a wonderful boxed pancake mix with the minimum of truly natural ingredients. It had no preservatives or artificial ingredients and all you had to add was water. It was eggless, too and it worked like a charm.
Then I moved to Seattle, where despite a great local culture of natural, vegetarian and vegan foods, I could not find a healthy, eggless pancake mix. When I tried to find and order Hansmann's pancake mix online, I was sad to find they had gone out of business.
From then I had a mission to create my own eggless pancake batter. I am proud to dedicate my recipe to Hansmann's Mills, whose mix I used to recommend and give to my family.
I am also happy to relate that just recently, I discovered Buck Hill Farm in Upstate New York now sells a pancake mix which was Hansmann's original recipe. Buck Hill Farm informed me they acquired the recipe for and are now manufacturing Hansmann's pancake mix. I look forward to receiving some of this mix from Buck Hill Farm.
Pacific Rim Alfredo with Lemon and Thyme
What do you get when you combine these 3 market-fresh ingredients?
A few months ago, I was ecstatic to discover the Pappardelle's Pasta stand at Seattle's Pike Place Market. Pappardelle's Pasta is available all over the U.S. and at The Market, they have bins and bins of the most amazing looking and great smelling pasta you'll find. It is too hard to pick just one kind per trip.
So my last time there, I picked up a few! One of the first Pappardelle's Pastas I cooked was their Pacific Rim Pasta Blend, shown above. I was attracted to its name and its vibrant colors, shapes, and of course the ingredients it is made of. They include lemon, ginger, buckwheat, garlic, cilantro, cayenne, curry, spinach, onions, and leeks to name a few. I had no idea what this would taste like, or even what I was going to make it with, but it was so aromatic that I had to try it.
Then one cold evening, when I was craving rich, winter comfort food without a lot of work, I created my Pacific Rim Alfredo with Lemon and Thyme. I decided to use the freshest ingredients I had, including the fresh lemon (pucker up, baby! ha :) and thyme shown above, which I had also picked up from Pike Place Market. A comforting, creamy alfredo can really sparkle when instead of using plain old fettucini, you use the multi-colored and bold-flavored Pacific Rim Pasta Blend.
So my last time there, I picked up a few! One of the first Pappardelle's Pastas I cooked was their Pacific Rim Pasta Blend, shown above. I was attracted to its name and its vibrant colors, shapes, and of course the ingredients it is made of. They include lemon, ginger, buckwheat, garlic, cilantro, cayenne, curry, spinach, onions, and leeks to name a few. I had no idea what this would taste like, or even what I was going to make it with, but it was so aromatic that I had to try it.
Then one cold evening, when I was craving rich, winter comfort food without a lot of work, I created my Pacific Rim Alfredo with Lemon and Thyme. I decided to use the freshest ingredients I had, including the fresh lemon (pucker up, baby! ha :) and thyme shown above, which I had also picked up from Pike Place Market. A comforting, creamy alfredo can really sparkle when instead of using plain old fettucini, you use the multi-colored and bold-flavored Pacific Rim Pasta Blend.
I used:
1/2 lb Pappardelle's Pacific Rim Pasta Blend
1 cup heavy cream (if you prefer a lighter version, combine half & half and milk)
2 tbspns butter
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 lemon zested & some of its freshly squeezed juice
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste
a pinch freshly ground nutmeg
a few twigs fresh thyme leaves, plucked
more grated parmesan, to top off before serving
My method:
1. Cook the pasta.
2. In a non-stick sauce pan, heat the butter on medium and throw in the garlic.
3. Let it cook for a few minutes without letting it burn, and add the cream.
4. Keep whisking as it heats -- the key is to not let a skin form.
5. Once the cream heats up a bit, add freshly grated parmesan and keep stirring till it melts. Make sure you leave no lumps.
6. Add salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
7. Once the sauce thickens, add the lemon zest, thyme, and a squeeze of lemon juice to the mix.
8. Add the cooked pasta and toss for a minute or two, then take it off the heat.
9. Serve with freshly grated parmesan, pepper, and I suggest you pair with your favorite citrus-strong Riesling!
1/2 lb Pappardelle's Pacific Rim Pasta Blend
1 cup heavy cream (if you prefer a lighter version, combine half & half and milk)
2 tbspns butter
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 lemon zested & some of its freshly squeezed juice
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
salt & pepper to taste
a pinch freshly ground nutmeg
a few twigs fresh thyme leaves, plucked
more grated parmesan, to top off before serving
My method:
1. Cook the pasta.
2. In a non-stick sauce pan, heat the butter on medium and throw in the garlic.
3. Let it cook for a few minutes without letting it burn, and add the cream.
4. Keep whisking as it heats -- the key is to not let a skin form.
5. Once the cream heats up a bit, add freshly grated parmesan and keep stirring till it melts. Make sure you leave no lumps.
6. Add salt, freshly ground pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
7. Once the sauce thickens, add the lemon zest, thyme, and a squeeze of lemon juice to the mix.
8. Add the cooked pasta and toss for a minute or two, then take it off the heat.
9. Serve with freshly grated parmesan, pepper, and I suggest you pair with your favorite citrus-strong Riesling!
The fresh lemon and thyme accented the pasta's own herbs and spices perfectly and garlic brought all the flavors together. The red ziti in Pacific Rim Pasta Blend also has a huge kick of cayenne. Pappardelle's people were serious when they had warned there was cayenne in there. Every time I got a bit of the red ziti, I was glad to have a creamy alfredo balancing it off.
Whenever we have an alfredo, we open a different bottle of Riesling, which we find to be the most versatile wine. We especially look for a Riesling with enough citrus to cut through the creaminess and cleanse our palates for the next bite! Pacific Rim with Alfredo was a perfect match for a stand-up, New World Riesling like many we have met from Upstate New York and the Pacific Northwest.
Pappardelle's Pasta in Pike Place Market also shares recipe suggestions with market-goers, and I'll have to suggest they spread the word about my Pacific Rim Alfredo with Lemon and Thyme :)
Go Pollock on Eggless Scones!
When I had finished making my Eggless Scones, and my baking sheets were dripping with dark chocolate sauce made from Theo's Madagascar, I suddenly felt like I was channeling Jackson Pollock, one of my all-time favorite American painters. (Yes, I am hooked on Theo!) I enjoyed learning about Pollock in Fine Art classes, but I truly loved making my food action painting, which was also a great stress buster!
I was thrilled to find and began with an Eggless Scone recipe by Tyler Florence. It looked simple and simple to tweak, too, so I replaced the fruits and glaze, and a few other things :)
I had a customer with high expectations who had said they would not eat the scones if they were too dry. Under pressure and against the reputation of scones everywhere, these Eggless Scones were up to the challenge! The cream especially helped them stay moist throughout baking.
See Tyler’s recipe for details, but for my part I replaced the blueberries with dried strawberries, which I had found at Sosio's in Pike Place Market. I added sliced almonds, and I replaced the regular sugar with brown sugar.
While my scones cooled, I made a chocolate sauce with Madagascar from Theo and heavy cream. I thinned the tempered chocolate with cream (you can use half & half if you like) till I had a smooth and thin enough consistency to drizzle, or paint?! with. When the scones were cooled to almost room temperature, I went crazy with the chocolate! Then I let the scones sit till the chocolate firmed up, and stored the scones in an air tight container.
Bring out your own inner Pollock or release some stress with this cool Flash canvas online! If you make these Eggless Scones, go Pollock on them and have fun – remember you can always lick the chocolate off your canvas ;)
See Tyler’s recipe for details, but for my part I replaced the blueberries with dried strawberries, which I had found at Sosio's in Pike Place Market. I added sliced almonds, and I replaced the regular sugar with brown sugar.
While my scones cooled, I made a chocolate sauce with Madagascar from Theo and heavy cream. I thinned the tempered chocolate with cream (you can use half & half if you like) till I had a smooth and thin enough consistency to drizzle, or paint?! with. When the scones were cooled to almost room temperature, I went crazy with the chocolate! Then I let the scones sit till the chocolate firmed up, and stored the scones in an air tight container.
Bring out your own inner Pollock or release some stress with this cool Flash canvas online! If you make these Eggless Scones, go Pollock on them and have fun – remember you can always lick the chocolate off your canvas ;)
Inspired by Asian Hits!
Every Saturday evening we are home, my husband and I turn our radio to 89.3 FM KUGS Seattle and enjoy an awesome Asian music show. They play a combination of pop, modern, and fusion music from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, et al. on the show called "Asian Hits." For a few weekends in a row, we've been each trying to work our charms on the variety of Asian inspired food we can produce, using as many local ingredients as possible.
I tossed up some quick Cilantro Sesame Noodles with almost tofu kan and an Edamame Salad with radishes and a soy dressing that he loved! (yes, my husband who "never" likes dressing!)
For Edamame Salad I used:
1 cup fresh edamame, blanched
crunchy romaine lettuce, chopped
some amorosa tomatoes, sliced (one thing I just can't stop eating out of season)
some french radish, sliced
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
soy sauce
olive oil
toasted sesame seeds
salt, pepper, & sugar to taste
My method:
1. I blanched the edamame to retain the color. They in fact looked greener after than before :)
2. I made a soy sauce -- lime -- olive oil emulsion, using about a tbsn of soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste, oilve oil, and a squeeze of lime. I don't have exact measurements, but the best way to know is keep tasting it till you get a balance of flavor your tongue likes.
3. When ready to eat: plate the lettuce, edamame, radish, and tomatoes, pour your well-mixed dressing over top, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds!
Speaking of fusion, this salad somehow tasted amazingly delicious with a glass of Australian Shiraz.
On to the almost tofu kan, Cilantro Sesame Noodles. Tofu kan is a type of spiced tofu invented and made popular by Ithaca Soy in upstate New York, where I lived for a while. I will some day publish its original recipe, created by a former colleague with her permission. For now, you get to taste my quick and custom version. I wanted to prove that this baked, spicy tofu can take a noodle dish to the next level, even if it's plain old fetuccini ;)
For Cilantro Sesame Noodles I used:I tossed up some quick Cilantro Sesame Noodles with almost tofu kan and an Edamame Salad with radishes and a soy dressing that he loved! (yes, my husband who "never" likes dressing!)
For Edamame Salad I used:
1 cup fresh edamame, blanched
crunchy romaine lettuce, chopped
some amorosa tomatoes, sliced (one thing I just can't stop eating out of season)
some french radish, sliced
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
soy sauce
olive oil
toasted sesame seeds
salt, pepper, & sugar to taste
My method:
1. I blanched the edamame to retain the color. They in fact looked greener after than before :)
2. I made a soy sauce -- lime -- olive oil emulsion, using about a tbsn of soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste, oilve oil, and a squeeze of lime. I don't have exact measurements, but the best way to know is keep tasting it till you get a balance of flavor your tongue likes.
3. When ready to eat: plate the lettuce, edamame, radish, and tomatoes, pour your well-mixed dressing over top, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds!
Speaking of fusion, this salad somehow tasted amazingly delicious with a glass of Australian Shiraz.
On to the almost tofu kan, Cilantro Sesame Noodles. Tofu kan is a type of spiced tofu invented and made popular by Ithaca Soy in upstate New York, where I lived for a while. I will some day publish its original recipe, created by a former colleague with her permission. For now, you get to taste my quick and custom version. I wanted to prove that this baked, spicy tofu can take a noodle dish to the next level, even if it's plain old fetuccini ;)
7 oz. firm tofu, cubed
1 tbspn soy sauce
1.5 tspn brown sugar
a squirt of sriracha hot sauce
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
1/2" piece of ginger, finely grated
vegetable oil
-----
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch Chinese five spice powder
2 pinches cumin powder
2 pinches salt
2-3 sliced spring onions
fresh cilantro
toasted sesame seeds
1/2 lb. boiled fettucini noodles (yes! I make do with whatever I have, especially in winter)
My method:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C).
2. Make the tofu marinade by combining the first half of the ingredients in a big bowl.
3. Toss the cubes of tofu in this marinade, and let it absorb for 15-20 minutes. I toss it a few times in between.
4. Carefully remove the tofu and spread it out on a baking sheet. Make sure there isn't a lot of liquid on the sheet, else it will burn -- I've done that before ;) Bake for about 20 minutes or until the outside starts to brown and crisp up. You will smell it when it's done!
5. Over medium heat in about 1 tbspn vegetable oil, add some red pepper flakes and let them flavor the oil for a couple minutes.
6. Add the noodles, Chinese 5 spice, cumin powder, salt, a squeeze of lime juice, and toss.
7. Add spring onions, sesame seeds, cilantro, and the freshly baked almost tofu kan and serve right away. As redundant as they might look, the freshly toasted sesame seeds did pull the whole meal together.
Crank up your favorite Asian music, experiment, and enjoy :)
Above is one of our earlier Asian-inspired Saturday dinners, Brian did the cooking and lovely plating! It was a lot of fun because my husband can really move a wok around & balance flavors well in a sauce. His menu included grilled Smoked Garlic Teriyaki Tofu, Baby Bok Choy, and Daicon. The ingredient that drove the meal was bok choy, which I used to never touch until I tasted what he made. When I cook, Brian often pairs it with a wine or beverage. This time, I contributed a fizzy tropical beverage, topped with a scoop of a mango sorbet, to go with the theme. Here are a few more photos I took:
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