Peppermint Patty Nanaimo Bars

I saw this recipe on yeah, that "vegan" shit and instantly felt the need to make it. Mike is not a huge chocolate person, but he adores peppermint and chocolate together. I decided to make it once we got back home to Cape Cod to be with my family. The recipe was a little bit problematic. Like it says on ytvs, the middle layer does not get as firm as the original recipe indicates. I also thought that the amount of middle layer was rather small, so I doubled it. But overall, the recipe was pretty easy to make. The hardest part was probably just waiting for the bars to harden in the freezer. These were a huge hit with my family and my dad's friend Graham. I couldn't stop eating them and made myself a little sick. Below is my recipe, including the doubled amounts of middle filling. If you want to know more about Nanaimo bars, which are Canadian in origin, wikipedia has a pretty good little summary.

Peppermint Patty Nanaimo Bars

Bottom Layer:
3/8 cup vegan nonhydrogenated margarine
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cups vegan white sugar
1 3/4 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs
3/8 cups cocoa powder
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
egg substitute equivalent of 1 egg
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Middle Layer:
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegan nonhydrogenated margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons soy milk
4 cups plus of confectioner's sugar

Top Layer:
1 tablespoon vegan nonhydrogenated margarine
5 unsweetened Baker's chocolate squares, broken in half

DIRECTIONS:
Bottom layer:
1) Combine graham crumbs, coconut and walnuts in a mixing bowl & stir well.
2) Put vegan margarine in a saucepan evenly along the bottom. Heat gently until it begins to melt. Add sugar and cocoa and melt on low heat and stir.
3) When the sugar & cocoa have dissolved, remove from heat. Add in the egg substitute and the 2 T. water and stir to blend the chocolaty mix evenly. Add the mixture of graham crumbs, coconut and walnuts. Mix well.
4) Press this mixture firmly into the bottom of the 8x8 square pan. (Pressing it well is very important, so don't be afraid to use your hands). Refrigerate to chill while you prepare the middle layer.

Middle layer:
1) Combine the vegan margarine, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and soy milk. Microwave for a minute to heat.
2) While this mixture is still hot, gradually begin to add the confectioner's sugar,n mixing well with a handheld mixer. When you're done, it should be thick enough that it doesn't seem to ooze around in the food processor. You will need it at least that thick to keep it from oozing off the bottom layer.
3) Take the bottom layer out of the refrigerator. Use a spatula to spread the filling over the bottom layer. Don't start the top layer until you are done with the middle.

Top layer:
1) Break the five chocolate squares in two.
2) Coat bottom of a saucepan (or double boiler) with 1 T. vegan margarine. Heat gently until it begins melting. Add unsweetened chocolate and melt on low heat.
3) As soon as it is evenly melted, remove from heat and pour immediately on top of the bars, spreading with a spatula.

The contrast between the super-sweetness of the middle and the dark, bitter chocolate is key. Chill the bars in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate ganache hardens. Cut into 16 2" squares. At this point they are ready to serve, or you can freeze them ahead of time; they freeze very well. Serve chilled at room temperature. Enjoy.

Navajo Stew

Last night for dinner Mike and I made Navajo Stew from Moosewood Simple Suppers (again). I actually had the cilantro this time, but I don't think it made that much of a difference. I doubled the amount of tomatoes (I only had a 32-ounce can) and I think this made it even better. I also added a regular potato because I needed to get rid of one I had on hand. I really like this dish and I will definitely keep making it.

Navajo Stew
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 red or green bell peppers1 large onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 15-ounce can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 15-ounce can of black beans, drained
1) Preheat oven to 450. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2) Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Stem and seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut it stem to root end into thin wedges. In bowl, toss vegetables with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stire and continue to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.
3) While the vegetables roast, puree the tomatoes, chipotles, and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Set aside. When the vegetables are tender, put them into a 2-to 3-quart baking dish, stir in the tomato-cilantro sauce and the beans, and return to the oven for about 10 minutes.
Serves 4.

Holiday Baking

The roommates (soon to be former) are throwing a big fancy holiday party and I was asked to make some cookies. Garnet specifically requested the Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies I have made before, and these are delicious as always. I also made molasses cookies, because they are my favorite. I got the recipe off epicurious, although it is originally from Bon Appetit. These cookies came out very well. Mike said that there are a good combination of sugar cookie and molasses cookie, but he would maybe like a little less molasses. I like them as they are. I jst love molasses cookies. I also made the Chai Pumpkin Bread that I saw on 28 Cooks and everybodylovessandwiches. These bread is super-tasty. It is a lot more savory than I expected, but I really like it. I think it would be delicious toasted and spread with a little butter. I also think it would make a great sweet bread, if the amount of sugar was doubled. I would definitely make any of these recipes again.

Molasses Cookies
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 large eggs
1) Preheat oven to 325°F. and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets.
2) In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.
3) In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, shortening, and 3 cups sugar until light and fluffy and beat in molasses. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture and combine well.
4) In a small shallow bowl put remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Form dough into 2-inch balls and roll in sugar. On baking sheets arrange balls about 4 inches apart and flatten slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.
5) Bake cookies in batches in middle of the oven 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. (Cookies should be soft.) Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to racks to cool.
Makes about 25 cookies.

Chai Pumpkin Bread
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter, at room temperature
1 c canned pumpkin
2 large eggs
2 chai tea bags, steeped in 1/2 c boiling water
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
2/3 c whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each cardamom, ginger, and black pepper
1/4 tsp each cloves, nutmeg, and allspice
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) In a large bowl, use a mixer to beat together sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
3_ Add pumpkin, eggs, chai tea liquid, and vanilla and stir until well combined.
4) Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices and stir just until evenly moistened. Pour into prepared 8" loaf pan.
5) Bake 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Canellini Bean Dip

Tonight for my lazy dinner by myself, I whipped up a hummus-like thing from canellini beans. I really wanted to make hummus, but found I had no chickpeas. This ended up being very tasty and obviously very easy to make. I ate it with some bread and carrots. I also ate some of my disgustingly fat-tastic and cheap impulse-buy gingerbread cake with super-sugary frosting from Stop and Shop. Oh man, it is a tasty tasty treat to a cranky, feeling-ill girl.

Exa's Canellini Bean Dip
1 15-oz can of canellini beans
some fresh parsley
two garlic cloves
salt & pepper to taste
Dump everything together in a cuisinart and puree. Put in a bowl. Enjoy.

Felicia's Kasha Burgers

First, news: Mike and I found an apartment! We signed the lease today. It is a two-bed plus office in Jamaica Plain. We will be moving in towards the end of this month. Now, if only I could find a replacement for me in my current living situation. Hopefully that will happen soon.
I have not been updating this as much as I would like, because I have been so busy. I have one grad school application left! Work has been extremely busy. I have been cooking, but I haven't been writing it in here. I'm too lazy to backtrack and write down everything I have made, so I will stick with what has been done recently.
I made Buttermilk Rye Bread from a recipe I got off desertculinary again--twice, actually. Mike and I both love it so much that we eat it way too fast. I eat it for breakfast every morning at work. Delicious.
Last night, Mike and I made Felicia's Kasha Burgers from Vegetarian Planet. Didi Emmon's, the book's author, got this recipe from the chef at Centre Street Cafe in Jamaica Plain, where Mike and I will be living. Yay. These burgers were pretty good. They took longer to cook than she said, and I replaced the white wine with vegetable broth because I didn't have any. I will try making them again with the wine and I will also add garlic, because I think that would give these burgers an extra boost. These are definitely something I would suggest trying if you like homemade-style veggie burgers. They were not too hard to make and it was fun making them in to patties.

Felicia's Kasha Burgers
Felicia Sanchez runs the Centre Street Cafe, an adorable shoebox cafe with a large vegetarian clientele in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Felicia's magical kasha burgers develop a crust on the outside rather like that of a char-grilled hamburger. The preparation takes aobut 30 minutes, and most of that time you're just waiting for the kasha to cook.
I suggest serving these burgers on bulky or kaiser rolls with tomato, lettuce, onion, and ketchup.
3 tablespoons margarine or canola or corn oil, or more, as needed
3 cups chopped onions
3 cups chopped flavorful mushrooms (one or more of the following varieties: portobellos, oyster, shiitake, cremini, hen-of-the-woods)
2/3 cup white wine
2 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Fresh-ground black pepper to taste
1 cup kasha (toasted buckwheat groats)
3 tablespoons unbleached white flour, plus a bit more for forming the burgers

1) In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the margarine or oil. Add the onions, and saute them for 10 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to brown at the edges. Add the mushrooms to the onions, and add 1 tablespoon margarine or oil. Saute for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently.
2) Add the wine, water, thye, sage, soy sauce, black pepper, and kasha. Over high heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan, and turn the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes. When the kasha is ready, it should have absorbed almost all of the liquid, and the grains should be tender.
3) Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes or so. Add the 3 tablespoons flour, and mix with a metal spoon or with your hands until the flour is well incorporated. The mixture should be sticky and like a thick porridge in consistency. (At this point, you can cover the mixture and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.) With well-floured hands, form four patties from kasha mixture.
4) In a large non-stick skillet or on a griddle, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon margarine or oil over medium heat. Drop the kasha mixture 1 cup at a time into the skillet or onto the griddle, and pat each patty down with your hand until it is 1 inch thick. (You'll probably be able to cook only three burgers at a time.) Cook the burgers for about 3 minutes per side. They should develop a dark brown crust, but check the underside frequently, as they will be very prone to burning. (If you must cook the burgers in two batches, add a bit of oil or margarine to the pan before cooking the second batch.) Serve the burgers right away.
Note: Felicia likes to use 2 tablespoons margarine instead of oil for sauteing the onions in step 1. She says this gives the burgers a richer flavor.
Makes 6 burgers.
I think these burgers should be made smaller. Mine took a lot longer to develop a crust than was said. Anyhow, they are still tasty.