October Baby and a Birthday Cake

I am an October baby.  Every year flies by faster and faster, almost seeming like a whirlwind of events. This past weekend seemed even more so, filled with school work, family, and friends. But I have to say nothing beats going back home to my mom’s for a relaxing birthday weekend and waking up to a beautiful breakfast table. It's tradition in my family to start the birthday with a luscious breakfast spread, covered with everything from fresh artisanal bread, German cold cuts and cheese, soft boiled eggs, fruits and jams, to of course freshly brewed coffee. We all slowly nibble our way through an hour or two of conversations, and end the breakfast with a song, candles, and of course a birthday cake. And then come the gifts...

This year my mother and I baked a cake together. A chocolate beet cake to be exact. It turned out moist and tender. Rich with a chocolaty aroma and deep dark brown color. It was delicious. Only lightly sweet, just how Germans like it. And course we topped it with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Yummmmm.

After we shared the cake, it came time to open cards and presents. Written with words of love and support, my dear family wished me a wonderful new year. And together they bought me a new lens. A new 50 mm F/1.4 Canon lens. And I love it! Thank you all for supporting my sanity and my creative outlet, photography!

So to keep it short, without nutrition information, and just pure indulgence, I share with you my birthday cake. Perfect for special occasions or simple surprises.

Chocolate Beet Birthday Cake

Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs, room temperature

½ vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups pureed red beets, 3-4 medium beets steamed/cooled/and peeled

1 ¾ cups (240g) Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend

6 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

2/3 cups unbleached sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt

2/3 cups organic butter, softened, plus 1 tablespoon (melted)

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, coarsely chopped
Optional but highly recommend: powdered sugar for dusting and fresh whipped cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter and grease Bundt loaf pan. Place into freezer. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and vanilla in a small bowl. Stir in the red beet puree and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl on a low speed. Add the butter and continue to mix on low to moisten the dry ingredients. Increase speed to medium and mix for about a minute. Add 1/3 of egg/beet mixture and mix for an additional 20-30 seconds. Repeat until the entire egg/beet mixture is incorporated making sure to scrape down the sides with each addition.

Toss in the chocolate chips, and stir to evenly distribute. Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan and bake in oven for  50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool 10 minutes and invert cake onto serving plate. Continue to cool cake to room temperature if dusting with powdered sugar prior to serving. Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened fresh whipped cream.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Grandma Lilo's Soup Stock

I’ve had this packet of soup bones in my freezer for a long time….months, perhaps even almost a year. I only recently discovered that they were there this summer, and thought it would be best to wait until Dane arrived home to use them. I mean what is one girl going to do with 2 lbs of soup bones in the heat of summer? Throw a roasted bone marrow party? I don’t think so. I’d rather wait to turn them into an aromatic fall soup stock.

So that is what I did today using a true and tried, generation old recipe. A recipe that my dear grandmother Lilo passed down to me, and perhaps her grandmother to her, and so forth. It works for everyone. Whether you prefer vegetable, chicken, red meat, fish, or bone marrow stock, it’s great and fool proof. You just cannot let it simmer or boil. Period.

Benefits of Kraftbrühe aka Bone Broth

In Germany, a hearty bone marrow stock is called Kraftbrühe, translated meaning strength broth. And that is what a good stock should be. Naturally full of vitamins and minerals that have leached from the vegetables and bone, into the water, leaving behind only fiber and the bone matrix, which can be discarded or given to one happy dog. That is why broth is often given to those that cannot stomach anything else, due to sickness, disease, or weakness. It is strengthening, immune boosting, and energy giving without adding much else. Bone broth is rich in glycine and proline from the collagen and gelatin found in cartilage, as well as the minerals calcium, phosphorous, and to a lesser degree magnesium sodium, potassium, sulfate and fluoride, which make up the bone matrix. In addition there is the nutrient dense bone marrow, which is made up of red and yellow marrow. Red marrow is composed of stem cells, which support both the production of red and white blood cells, while yellow bone marrow is full of energy dense fat cells called adipocytes. All in all, bone offers many of your essential minerals, immune and blood support, as well as energy producing fat. In many cultures bone broth is used not only as food but also as medicine. This delicious cultural staple has been documented to support many conditions ranging from allergies and anemia to inflammatory conditions and wound healing. 

So, if you are feeling a little under the weather, or just simply craving a warm hearty soup, start your weekend with a big pot of slowly simmering soup stock. Everyone will smell his or her way into your kitchen! It smells so good!

How-to: Roast Soup Bones

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place thawed or fresh soup bones on a baking pan and roast in oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside. Pour off any excess fat.

Note: If you like roasted bone marrow, you can also serve up a roasted soup bone as an appetizer with toasted baguette, salt and pepper. Spoon out the marrow and spread it like butter on the bread. It’s a simple gourmet treat!

How-to: Make a Basic Stock

You will need:

            One onion, halved with skin on (red or yellow)

            2 whole cloves

            1 bay leaf

4 peppercorns

Two large carrots, halved

            ½ celeriac root or 5 stalks celery, halved

            1 leek, rinsed of dirt and halved

            4 cloves garlic

            1 bunch parsley

            Fresh filtered water to cover

            2 lbs roasted soup bones

            1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Heat a large soup stockpot over medium heat. Place the exposed section of the onion face down onto the bottom of the pan. Sear it slightly, but do not burn it. Reduce the heat. Pierce the bay leaf to the onion with both cloves.

Place pierced onion, peppercorns, carrots, celeriac, leek, garlic cloves, and parsley into the pot and cover with water.  Once the water is almost at a simmer, add the soup bones and the vinegar. Reduce heat to low. The trick is to keep the stock below a constant simmer. You want it to be at the point right before it simmers. This increases the clarity of the broth as well as the flavor. Pour about a cup of the stock back into the roasting pan and scrap off some of the excess proteins that are stuck on the pan and pour the liquid back into the pot.  Allow the broth to develop in flavor for minimum 1 hour or better all day! The longer it cooks the more flavorful and nutrient dense it becomes. Usually, I let mine sit for 24+ hours. Skim off any foam that accumulates on top.

When the broth is ready, strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and cool immediately to keep it from souring. This stock can be thinned with water as desired. 

Now you have a flavorful and aromatic homemade stock! It should keep in the refrigerator about 5 days, or in the freezer for months. If you are a vegetarian, just omit the bones. If you prefer chicken or fish, replace them with the bones. If they are raw however, you must make sure to fully cook them in the stock prior to serving.

So here is what I like to do with my homemade stock. This recipe is versatile, easy, delicious, and most conveniently it doesn’t take long to make!

Quick and Easy Fried Egg Soup

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients

1 cup bone marrow stock

½ cup filtered water

2-3 chanterelles, pulled (or any mushroom of choice)

2 collard leaves, chiffonade (can substitute with kale, chard, or spinach)

¼ yellow bell pepper, diced

½ cup cooked whole grain

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 pasture-raised egg

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Favorite toppings:

Shaved asiago, feta, or goat cheese

Fresh cut parsley or basil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Siracha or fresh salsa

Directions:

Pour the bone marrow stock and filtered water into a saucepan and heat on medium low. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium and toss in pulled chanterelles. Do not add oil, because this is a dry heat method of cooking the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are tender place them into your soup bowl. Quickly heat up olive oil in the same pan, and slightly sauté the bell pepper and collard greens. Season with salt and pepper. Toss them into you bowl along with millet.

Fry an egg in olive oil. Pour the broth into your soup bowl, top with fried egg, cheese, hot sauce, parsley, fresh lemon juice and a dash of salt and pepper. Voila! Your done! Enjoy!

Note: Once served, cut up the sunny side up egg, and mix in with the soup…it makes the soup creamier!

                                                                                                                                                     

Reference:

Siebecker, A. Traditional Bone Broth in Modern Health and Disease. Townsend Letter. March 2005.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Savory GF Crepes with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Chanterelle Gravy

October is my favorite month of the year. The month when rainy days instill coziness and comfort, and the sunny days are warm yet crisp. The colors of vivid oranges, reds, and yellows take over the bright array of greens from the summer past and spices and aromas from home baked recipes waft the homes on weekend mornings.

October is savory and sweet. Sweet potatoes, squash, pumpkin, and mushrooms galore, all spiced with savory herbs, find their way to our dinner tables. However, out of them all, mushrooms, especially chanterelles, signal October abundance to me. Not only because you see them in mounds at Farmers Markets displayed in large woven baskets, but also when you come across chanterelles in the forest, hunting for them with a trained eye. The woody and earthy smell reminds me how much I enjoy them.

So today, mushrooms capture my lens and my cooking.

Mushrooms are a great source of plant-based vitamin D2, offering a food source for this sun-based vitamin. Vitamin D3, which is the activated form of vitamin D2, has many hormonal functions in the human body, including bone health and maintenance, immune support, insulin regulation, and muscle health, as well as many other unknown roles. Because of its great influence within the body, it is important to obtain adequate vitamin D either through diet or sun exposure. In the Pacific Northwest, sun exposure can only offer adequate vitamin D during the spring and summer months if the individual is outside and without sunscreen for twenty minutes. However, during the autumnal and winter months people living above the 37^th parallel are not able to obtain adequate vitamin D from the sun.  This puts many people at a high risk of vitamin D deficiency, unless they consume vitamin D rich foods, such as salmon, milk, and mushrooms, or take a supplemental form.

How many mushrooms do you have to eat to get enough vitamin D? Well, 100 grams of chanterelle mushrooms offers 53% of your daily vitamin D as well as 20% of your daily iron and copper. Copper is needed to help you utilize iron. Therefore mushrooms are a great way for vegetarians to consume their daily iron as well as vitamin D!

GF Buckwheat Crepes with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and a Chanterelle Gravy

Makes about 4-5 Servings (two crepes per person)

Ingredients:

For the Crepes:

100 g buckwheat flour

100 g sorghum flour

½ tsp fine sea salt

3 eggs

1 cup milk

½ cup plain yogurt

Butter for frying

For the Sweet Potatoes:

3 medium-small sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

Generous pinch sea salt

Pepper to taste

For the Chanterelle Gravy:

1 tablespoon organic butter or extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion, cut into thin half moon shape

300 g chanterelle mushrooms, pulled into thin sections

1 cup red wine

1 cube vegetable bouillon (Rapunzel is my favorite brand)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 cup warm water

¾ cup whole milk

3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey or your sweetener of choice

Season with additional sea salt and pepper to taste

Additional Fixings:

Plain chèvre (goat cheese)

Mixed salad greens

Freshly minced parsley

Prepare the Crepes:Mix together both flours and sea salt in a medium bowl. Make a hole in the center and crack the eggs into the hole.  Then while pouring in the milk fold the flour into the egg milk mixture until fully combined with a wooden spoon. Finally mix in the yogurt. When fully combined and smooth cover and allow mixture to sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  Meanwhile roast sweet potatoes.

Reduce oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the mixture and add additional tablespoon or two of water to reconstitute to a soupy/runny batter. Heat a large frying pan (I used non-stick) on medium heat. Add about a teaspoon of butter (should be sizzling) and swish it around the pan. With a small ladle, pour the batter into the center of the pan. Then carefully turn the pan from side to side, up and down, to evenly spread out the batter until the entire bottom is covered with a thin layer. Allow to cook about 30 seconds to one minute and flip. Cook another 30 seconds to one minute and then place into the oven on a baking sheet to keep warm. Continue with the rest of the batter.

Prepare the Sweet Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Dice the sweet potatoes into small cubes (skin on) and mix with olive oil in a medium bowl. Toss with salt and pepper. Place on to a baking sheet and roast in oven for 20 minutes or until tender.

Prepare the Chanterelle Gravy: Heat the butter in a medium saucepan until sizzling. Add the onion to the buttered saucepan and sauté until glassy. Meanwhile heat a large frying pan to medium and add the pulled mushrooms. Stir often. This is a dry-heat method for cooking the mushrooms which release only a little water and keeps a lot of flavor. Add the cup of red wine, vegetable bouillon cube, and garlic to the onions. Let the wine simmer for a few minutes to allow the bouillon cube to dissolve. Meanwhile mix corn starch and warm water together with a whisk. While whisking slowly pour the cornstarch mixture to the simmering wine sauce. Continue to whisk until combined, allow the mixture to quietly simmer. Your wine sauce should now be thicker. Quickly add the milk and stir.  Check on the mushrooms to see if they are tender. Add them to the sauce and allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes, and continue to slowly stir the mixture.

Finish the gravy with the balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Add the teaspoon of honey, salt, and pepper to taste. If you like it even more sour, just add additional vinegar but be careful, it can quickly become too sour. Only add 1 teaspoon of vinegar at a time. Also if the mixture is too thick you can add more milk/water to thin it to your liking.

Assembly of the Crepes:Spread a little bit of goat cheese on a crepe and top with roasted sweet potatoes.  Spoon a little chanterelle gravy over the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with mixed greens and a pinch of fresh parsley. Finally roll the crepe. Repeat.

Place two crepes onto a plate. Prior to serving ladle additional gravy over the crepes and garnish with a little goat cheese and fresh parsley. Serve.

                                                                                                                                                               

Reference:

1. WH Foods: Vitamin D

2. Johnson, Lana R. (2010). "Vitamin D Insufficiency Due to Insufficient Exposure to   Sunlight and Related Pathology." Student Pulse, 2(12). Retrieved from: <http://www.studentpulse.com/a?id=346 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad