Power and Pierogies

Last month my eldest daughter came home from a week at conservation camp, reveling about one of her favorite parts of camp - the food. 
"We had these things filled with mashed potato..."
"Pierogies?"
"Yeah...whatever...they were de-lic-ious!  We need to get some!"

So, here it is a beautiful September Sunday, with onions and potatoes fresh from my boss' garden on the counter...Challenge accepted. 

Pierogies are a labor of love, but really shouldn't have taken me as long in the kitchen as they did.  I had my laptop propped up on the fruit bowl, you see; my friend/cousin-in-law is doing an Ironman race today, and I've been glued to the live webcam of the event, hoping to catch a glimpse of the unassuming little powerhouse of a woman she is.  We've run together on the weekends over the last 8 months or so...in slush and snow, wind, rain, and sun...3 milers and 13 milers...her training, me tagging along happy for the incentive and the company - the fact that she's bat-shit crazy left unspoken.  Well, by me anyway.  She mentioned it fairly often and I have no doubt has questioned her sanity a few times today especially.  For those not familiar with Ironmans, they consist of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.  Not much longer now, and she'll be crossing the finish line.  I couldn't be prouder.  I really just want to cry.  Or maybe that's from all these onions...let's get back to some pierogies.

I got about 46 dumplings out of this recipe, with a good amount of filling leftover.  Even sans distracting webcam, you'll be in the kitchen awhile - you'll need nourishment, and there will be passersby who will want to nibble too.  In short, extra mashed potato is never a bad thing.

The Filling:
3 lbs gold potatoes, diced (my spuds were thin skinned and knowing the source, I didn't bother peeling)
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1 large onion, diced small

In a large pot, boil potatoes in water for 10-15 minutes, til fork tender.  Drain, and set aside in colander.
In the now-empty pot, sauté onions in olive oil and EB until translucent, about 7 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.  Add potatoes back in, and mash and mix all together.  If you have an electric mixer, use it to get a nice creamy consistency.  Let cool.

Caramelized Onions:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 lbs yellow onions, sliced

While you work on the dough below, saute onions in oil, over low heat until translucent, sweet, and slightly golden - about 1/2 an hour total - stirring occasionally.

The Dough:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp salt

Mix oil, salt, and water in a bowl.  Add flour gradually, mixing.  Then knead on a lightly floured surface for at least 5 minutes.  Cut in half.  Roll out the dough, flouring your counter as necessary, so that each half of the dough is about 18 x 10 inches and quite thin.  Cut circles from this, about 3-1/2 inches wide.

After each batch of circles is cut, fill each circle with 1 Tbsp of potato filling. 

Seal edges around, using a bit of water if need be.  Don't worry about them looking perfect.  This is a rustic food of love thing.  And that is the best kind.

Set the uncooked dumplings on a pan covered with wax paper or the like, while you finish the rest.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water to boiling again.  When the pierogies are all filled and sealed, they are ready!
Boil in batches of 10-12, for 4 minutes.  Place on an oiled baking sheet as they come out of the boiling pot.

When the onions are done caramelizing, move them to a bowl.  Add more olive oil to the pan, and place boiled dumplings in to brown, a couple minutes on each side.  Remove to serving bowl/platter.  Serve with the caramelized onions.  Applesauce would be yummy too.

So, there you have pierogies.  Hubby and visiting neighbor friend loved them, camp memories were relived by my daughter, and my other daughter (hater of all real food) handed me the one she tried.  Alas, we'll have some yummy noshing in the days to come. 

And here I sit tonight, listening to other people's friends and family cheering as their own crazy heroes cross under that ticking Powerbar sign on my laptop.  I wait and watch - and for the record, it's so not the onions. 

Deviled Potatoes

Roasted spuds filled with creamy wow factor...hardly of the devil.  Especially sans chicken embryos. 
I made these last Easter and again for a Superbowl party yesterday. 
I think I've perfected them..."I could eat these til I puke," said the carnivorous husband. 
Quite possibly the best compliment a cook can garner. 

This makes what sounds like a lot...about 5 dozen.  But trust me - none will go to waste.

You'll need:

For roasting:
3-1/2 lbs small (about 2") potatoes (I like to use a mix of yellow and red/purple)
Olive oil, salt and pepper

For filling:
2/3 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 cup cashews (boiled for 8 minutes & drained)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2-3 tsp horseradish
3 tsp mustard
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable broth
Pepper, to taste
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350.
Slice potatoes in half and place on a baking sheet.  Toss potatoes in olive oil and salt and pepper.
Lay the halves cut side down, and bake for 30 minutes.

When the spuds are done roasting, remove from the pan with a spatula.  When cool enough to handle, scoop out centers with a spoon, leaving about a 1/4" rim. 

Put all the filling ingredients (except for paprika) and scooped-out potato into your food processor, and blend until smooth.

Spoon mixture into a plastic bag (cut one of the corners) or official piping bag, and pipe this deliciousness into the hollows of the potatoes. 

Sprinkle with paprika. 

 

Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.  Refrigerate if it's going to be more than a couple hours til devour time; but these are best, I think, at room temp (guaranteed though, even stone cold, to be better than the Broncos).

GF Holiday Banana Bread

I did all my usual holiday baking before Christmas...cookies, truffles, etc.  But needed a "New Year's" gift for a friend who had been away that week.  So, I came up with this festive, tasty treat (that's crispy/moist and sweet/tart in all the right places) with what I had left on hand in the freezer and pantry.

Makes 2 large loaves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix all in order:
2 cups maple syrup
1/2 c melted coconut oil
1/4 c ground flaxseed mixed w/ 3/4 c water
7-8 frozen bananas, peeled and chopped/mashed
7-oz bag of sweetened coconut flakes
1 c sliced almonds
1 c frozen cranberries
2 tsp vanilla
2 c GF All-Purpose Baking Flour (I used Bob's Red Mill brand)
2 c oat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
Sugar, for sprinkling

Pour into two loaf pans that have been coated with baking spray. 

Sprinkle tops with sugar, and bake for 1 hour. 

Remove from oven, and let cool in pans for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto cooling rack.

Makin' Whoopie, Gluten-Free Style

I haven't had a whoopie pie in...probably 4 years.  I've had some of the most delicious food of my life since becoming vegan; but let's face it - I never thought I would have a real, indulgent, cakey, cream-filled, rich, I-shouldn't-have-eaten-that-whole-thing whoopie pie again. 

I thought wrong. 

I set out to make vegan whoopie today, and since my few adventures with gluten-free baking have resulted in a this-is-even-better-than-with-wheat-flour outcome, I went GF to boot.  These pies are moist, rich, and dark like my favorite chocolate cake.

I filled mine with a simple whipped coconut cream, because I was never wild about the over-the-top sugar and shortening thing (or the belly-full-of-yuck-feeling after the fact), but I'm originally from the Live Free or Die state, so stuff these puppies with whatcha like. 

Makin' Whoopie (makes about seven 3-1/2-inch, filled pies):

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:
1-1/2 cups white rice flour
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1-1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xantham gum

Beat wet ingredients in separate bowl:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread (or more coconut oil), at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/8 cup almond milk & 1 tsp vinegar
2 Tbsp instant coffee granules

Add dry ingredients to wet in batches, and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Using a 1/4-cup scoop, place batter on prepared pan, about six scoops per pan.  Bake for 18 minutes, and transfer to cooling rack.

Filling:

2 cans full-fat coconut milk, that has been in the fridge for at least 6 hours (only use the thick part at the top)
2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

(I've had the best results with this brand)

Whip with electric mixer until fluffy (will thicken even more in the fridge).

Scoop a quarter cup onto half of your cooled pies, and lid with the other half.

The taste test...

 

Oh my...

 

 Nom....nom...

 

Ummm....
Store the survivors in the fridge...

 

Hubbard & Cupboard Stew

An overnight in Maine with girlfriends...complete with a pub, a great concert in the pouring rain, up-til-2AM chatting, shopping, a stop at Big G's for lunch, and a roadside squash purchase from a cute little old Frenchman...makes for a great start to a 3-day weekend.  Day 3 I've spent in the kitchen, with my girls and the neighbor girls running in and out and eating apples from our tree out front. 

It's a beautiful Autumn-is-near kind of day.  I made a pea soup and a veggie stew and roasted some veggies (eggplant, onion, peppers).  There are whoopie pies in the oven, and apple pie is on deck for this evening.  I love these kinds of Sundays. 

The veggie stew today was inspired by a couple purchases from my girls night away...blue Hubbard squash and Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix.  I love love love winter squash.  Leave the peel right on if it's local/organic.  I love the texture, and you get the extra nutrients that otherwise would be tossed in the compost. 

Hubbard & Cupboard Stew!  It's chunky, thick, and stick to your ribs.

In a large soup pot, in 2 Tbsp EVOO, sauté 5-10 minutes:

5-6 stalks of celery, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1-1/2 cups carrots, chopped
S&P and garlic powder (eyeball it)
6 small yellow potatoes, cubed

Add:
8-10 cups water (and/or vegetable broth)
2 cups Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix (or a combo of split green and yellow peas, barley, lentils, and tiny pasta)

Simmer for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add 8 cups blue Hubbard squash, chopped into large chunks (about 1 x 2 inches).

Simmer another 25 minutes.

With a bowl of this in hand and the smells of fall treats baking...the thought of Monday just won't seem so bad.

Balance (aka Pesto, Oatmeal, Fries, and Cremees)

Today we journeyed home from a 3-nighter at Lake Carmi State Park.  We've been camping there for years:  First as a couple, then as young parents, and now with our tweens. We went several years with my best friend and her family too.  One year I even found out I was pregnant with our second daughter, right there in the campground's restroom. 

This year, the girls spent most of their waking hours scootering and biking.  We went for a lot of walks.  My husband and I went for a run together one morning.  We kayaked in the afternoon.  We did a lot of reading around the campfire.  And we had nightly treats that I normally wouldn't condone, at least not on a consecutive-day basis.  But, we did get a fair amount of activity in.  It's once a year.  I shaved my Food-Nazi mustache off and broke out the boxed brownie mix and pie iron, and shared in the girls' excitement when they heard the ice cream truck making its rounds.  Balance. 

Friday morning before we headed north, I had made up a double batch of pesto with basil from my tiny garden.  Over the weekend, my eldest daughter and I dipped into it with rice crackers and baked tortilla chips, tossed it in rigatoni, and even dolloped it on campfire pizza (multigrain dough, Daiya cheese, marinara, onions, shrooms, the pesto....magnifico!)  One morning I had a tofu/pesto/greens breakfast sandwich on oatmeal bread toast.  And we still brought some back home with us.

Lemony Pesto (single batch - makes about 3/4 of a cup):

2 cups fresh basil
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup walnuts
2 Tbsp miso
Pepper
1/8 cup water
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tbsp EVOO

Whiz up in the food processor until desired consistency, and refrigerate. 

About 5 miles from the campground is Hartman's Farm Stand, which we'd visit daily for corn and other treats such as blueberries, a giant tomato, lettuce, cantaloupe, and...ground cherries.  When I picked one of the little husk-covered things up and questioned the farm-stand lady, she told me what they were and said they tasted like a blend of (insert 5 different fruits here)..."ending with a nutty aftertaste."  I really still can't tell you what they do taste like, but they're sweet and benign enough so that my veg/fruit-picky husband approved of them.  One website described the flavor as a cross between a cherry tomato and pineapple.  Maybe.  Upon some research, I realized I've had them dried (golden berries, they were called), and fresh is definitely preferable.  The second morning at the campground, I threw some in my oatmeal with sunflower seeds. Yum.

The third and last morning I also made oatmeal:

Campground Oats (amounts estimated due to no proper measuring devices on the premises)

1/2 cup of old-fashioned oatmeal
1+ cup water
1/2 cup pumpkin pie filling (I used Farmer's Market Organic brand)
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1/3 cup blueberries

Cook all in a saucepan (I used our propane tabletop stove), stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until thick. 
Turn off the heat, and mix in about 1/2 a cup of hemp milk.  Top off your coffee so it's good and hot alongside.

As I ate my final breakfast this morning, I watched the girls reading in their chairs by the unlit fire ring, took in the fresh air, greens and browns and blues all around, wishing we had at least one more day.  It seems it takes me 36 hours just to get into Relax Mode, and then I'm left with only another 24 hours to truly enjoy.

 

But alas, we had to pack up and head out.  We made an impromptu roadside lunch stop in Montpelier.  I mentioned Balance, didn't I? 

The Dairy Creme. 

I became giddy when I realized they offered about 30 soft-serve flavors, and they all could be made NON-DAIRY!  So after I devoured my tub of fries smothered in vinegar and ketchup, I ordered up a "white birthday cake"-flavored cremee in a dish. 

Healthy?  No.  Processed-soy and sugar-filled?  Surely.  Did I care?  Hell no. 

Ice cream is not something I generally crave anymore.  Once in awhile I'll buy a pint of the coconut- or almond-milk variety and swirl in some peanut butter as a bedtime snack.  But having something other than sorbet, and so many flavor options to boot, with my kids at an ice cream stand was a fun treat.  Hopefully this non-dairy thing will become a new trend in these parts.  But then again maybe it's a good thing the Montpelier Dairy Creme is not conveniently close enough to become a habit.

When we got home and mostly unpacked I rushed out to pick all my sungold tomatoes that grow alongside the basil, and wild blackberries from the bushes up on the bank.  The dog munched with me as I picked.  It's good to be home, to know our other pets made the weekend OK without us.  And it will be good to sleep on a real mattress tonight.

Tomorrow morning I'll go for a long run, to sweat out the cremees and fries stuck to my thighs and memory.  Then I'll process the six dozen ears of corn we brought home from the farm stand.  In January when we're boiling up freezer-fresh cobs, we'll take heart that another long August weekend by the lake....with treats, healthy fun, and campfires...is coming.

Orange-Glazed Seitan Ribs & Asian Slaw

We just got back from a week-long trip to Indiana and Kentucky.  Despite all the wonderful (and delicious) hospitality, and living on snacks from the cooler on the other end of the spectrum, it was so good to be barefootin' in my own kitchen again yesterday.  I whipped up a couple recipes I'd seen on-line that I thought would complement each other, and with the usual few adjustments had a yummy summer dinner with the family. 

The Slaw

Whisk the dressing:

1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 minced garlic clove

Pour over:

1 bag broccoli slaw (4-5 cups)
2 cups shredded carrots
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 cup cooked, shelled edamame
2 medium scallions, sliced thin
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro

Toss and refrigerate.

The Ribs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Make the seitan:

1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic (or onion) powder

3/4 c water
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp grated fresh ginger

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  Then mix together, and knead gently for a couple minutes.  Pat into a sprayed 7 x 7- or 8 x 8-inch baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze:

1 clove garlic, minced.
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup orange juice
1/8 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1-1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp liquid aminos
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

Whisk together.  Pour over the seitan and bake for an additional 20 minutes, til bubbly and thickened.  Cut into 16 finger-lickin' slices. 
You could try throwing them on the grill for a few minutes at this point, to get some smoky flavor and grill marks.