Baeta’t Tdamata

I’ve scoured websites and cookbooks looking for Assyrian recipes that my son will eat. This recipe from Cardamom and Tea is one that gets 5 stars from him! We have been meaning to try it with a dairy-free feta, but we haven’t done it yet. We enjoy these eggs and tomatoes at breakfast with our favorite flatbread.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 teaspoon spice blend(equal parts black pepper, paprika, and cumin) + 1 pinch for garnish
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
Salt to taste
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons crumbled feta
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped parsley
Serve with bread

1. Pre-heat a 10-inch frying pan over medium-low heat for two minutes.
2. Add the tablespoon of oil, swirl it around in the pan, and add the spice blend. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and some salt to taste.
4. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir the tomatoes around for about 4 minutes until they start to break down and turn into a chunky sauce.
5. Spread the chunky sauce into one even layer (about 1/2 inch) and lower the heat to medium. Crack the eggs directly onto the tomatoes, sprinkle them with some salt, don’t disturb them, and immediately cover the frying pan with a lid.
6. Set a timer for 4 minutes if you prefer very runny egg yolks, or 5 minutes if you prefer slightly runny, custardy egg yolks.
7. Check the eggs by poking the white near the yolk with a knife and gently poking the yolk with your finger. If the whites do not ooze and the yolk still feels jiggly, they should be perfect. Once they are done, remove from the pan immediately. If the whites are not set, continue cooking them covered, checking every 45 seconds to see if they are done.
8. Garnish with feta, parsley, and a pinch of spices.

Eggnog French Toast

I found this recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box. I’ve often thought about making a project out of cooking through her recipes. This one is a recent favorite of ours.

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk (we made ours dairy-free)
• 1 TBSP sweetener of choice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 6 to 8 slices raisin bread
• Margarine

Beat egg slightly. Add milk, sweetener, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla. Dip raisin bread slices, one at a time, into eggnog mixture; turn until just well coated. Brown at once on both sides in hot margarine. Serve hot with favorite topping.

Pumpkin Pancakes

I’ve been trying to use up last fall’s frozen pumpkin puree before this fall hits with a fresh batch. We’ve had these pancakes over and over.

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole grain spelt flour
2  teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 cup almond milk
1 egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or softened Earth Balance margarine)
2-4 tablespoons agave
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.In a bowl mix both kinds of flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger.
2. In another bowl whisk the milk,  pumpkin puree, egg, oil, agave, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix using a spatula until combined.
4. Spray a pan with oil.
5. Use an ice cream  scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter.
6. Spread the batter using a spoon or the back of the icecream scoop.
7. Cook on medium low heat till you see small bubbles on top.
8. Flip the pancake and cook on the other side.

Za’atar Skillet Potatoes with Fried Eggs

The recipes I’ve been stashing away for the past several months have all been for breakfast food. Hmm. I wonder why that is.

We’ve been enjoying our breakfast potatoes lately with za’atar as our seasoning of choice. We hope you enjoy them as well, courtesy of Bint Rhoda’s Kitchen.

This recipe will serve one person a hearty meal. Add one potato for every 1-2 people you’ll be serving.

1 large white potato
2 tbsp olive oil, approximate
Small clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp za’atar*
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemon wedge

1.  Scrub potatoes. You may leave skin on or off.

2.  Optional, time-saving tip:  microwave potatoes (or you could also  parboil in salted boiling water) until slightly tender, about three minutes in the microwave, flipping once. Then cool slightly until you can handle them. You can also prepare potatoes in advance and refrigerate until ready to proceed with the recipe.

3.  Coat a skillet with a layer of  olive oil and heat over medium heat. Dice the potato in a 1/2 inch dice. When the oil is hot, add potatoes in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Stir only occasionally, letting the potatoes fry until golden brown. If they are precooked, this will take 5 minutes.

4.  Sprinkle potatoes with za’atar and stir to coat. Add another drizzle of olive oil, and minced garlic, and fry for another minute or two until golden brown and fragment. Remove from heat; squeeze fresh lemon juice over the potatoes, toss and pour out into a bowl.

5.  Serve with a fried egg on top. Or, leave the potatoes in the skillet and scramble in some eggs. Sprinkle with a little more za’atar.

Brown Rice Bowls with Roasted Carrots, Crispy Kale, and Fried Eggs

We’ve been eating a lot of greens this month since they’re available in cheap abundance right now. We’re getting tired of them, honestly. But the crispy kale in this recipe reminded us of seaweed, and the entire recipe felt like we were eating a variation of Korean bibimbap. Thanks, Lingonberry Jam, for the recipe!

We made a rice cooker full of mixed grains and used them in place of rice in this recipe.

• 1 cup rice + water needed for cooking
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 5 carrots, peeled and sliced into pieces about three inches long by 1/2-inch thick
• about 1/3 cup olive oil, divided
• 2 tsp. za’atar
• 8 ounces kale, stemmed and sliced into 1-inch thick strips
• 2 Tbs. red or white wine vinegar
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• 4-6 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Start rice or mixed grains in the rice cooker.
3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. On the baking sheet, toss carrots, 1 TBSP olive oil, za’atar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Spread carrots out evenly on the sheet and cover tightly with another piece of foil. Bake on the upper oven rack for 20 minutes.
4. While carrots are roasting, toss kale with 1 TBSP oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper in a bowl. When the carrots have finished roasting for 20 minutes, remove the foil and spread the kale evenly on top of the carrots. Return the baking sheet to the oven, uncovered, and roast the vegetables for 15-20 minutes, or until the kale is crispy.
5. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, shallot, and 3 TBSP oil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Evenly divide the rice into four bowls. Top the rice with roasted vegetables and drizzle each portion with a tablespoon or so of the vinaigrette. Cover the bowls to keep them warm while you fry the eggs.
7. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Carefully slide the eggs into the skillet, cover, and cook until your desired doneness is reached, about 2-4 minutes. Top each rice bowl with a fried egg, and serve. We made a few extra eggs for those who wanted more.

 

Pfeffernüsse Cookies

To end our Thanksgiving meal, we enjoyed both kuchen and pfeffernüsse cookies. Here’s how I adapted the recipe for our family’s dietary needs. These can be just a tad bit spicy if you get a bite with fresh ground pepper. Yummy!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole spelt flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 TBSP vegetable shortening
• 1 cup honey
• 1 large egg (we also made these with egg replacer once, and they were very soft and yummy)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• confectioner’s sugar for rolling (optional)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. In another bowl, beat the shortening and honey together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg, then lower mixer speed and gradually mix in the dry, beating just until blended. Let the dough chill for about 10 minutes to firm up.
4. Scoop tablespoon-sized balls and roll into balls. Place balls an inch apart on prepared baking sheets and bake about 15 minutes, or until golden and slightly cracked. When cookies are still lightly warm, roll in confectioner’s sugar to completely coat the cookies, if you’d like. Store in an airtight container. Sometimes cookies with spices taste best around 3 days after baking, when the flavors have settled.

Knoephla Soup

We celebrated a Germans from Russia Thanksgiving this year. This was another winner year – there was so much delicious food. I borrowed this recipe for Knoephla – a potato and dumpling soup – from the Prairie Californian. It was our first course, and what a great way to start the meal!

I needed to make a dairy-free version of the soup, so this is how I did it. And I used white spelt flour for the knoephla, but any white flour should do.

Broth

• 8 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons Bill’s Best Chik’nish
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 TBSP Earth Balance margarine
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 12-oz package Mori-Nu Silken Tofu (soft)
• salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoon dill weed

Knoephla (Dumplings)

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened soymilk
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups white spelt flour

 

1. Combine water, bay leaves, Chik’nish, and potatoes in a large heavy bottomed pot. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are tender.
2. In a separate pan, melt the margarine and saute onions until tender and slightly browned. Add to the broth.
3. While potatoes are cooking, make the knoephla. Combine eggs and soymilk in a large bowl, beat to combine. Add flour and baking powder, mix together well until dough forms.
4. Drop knoephla into the broth. You can do this by either rolling the dough into a rope (about ½ inch) and cut into pieces (about ¼ inch). Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the dumplings begin to rise.
5. Blend the tofu in a food processor until it is nice and creamy.
6. Just before serving, add the blended tofu and warm. Salt and pepper to taste, season with dill weed. If desired, thicken with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch + 1 tablespoon of water.

Honey-Kissed Baklava Muffins

I am happy. That is all. Many thanks to the Edible Perspective. The only changes I made from the original recipe were swapping margarine for butter and using store-bought buckwheat flour instead of making it fresh.

Muffins:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 3/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk, or soy, 2%, etc.
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted and slightly cooled

Filling:

• 1 1/4 cups chopped unsalted pistachios and walnuts
• 3 tablespoons clover honey
• 2 tablespoons diary-free margarine, melted
• 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

• Honey to drizzle, about 1 teaspoon per muffin
• 1/3 cup chopped unsalted pistachios and walnuts
• 2 tablespoons dairy-free margarine, melted and slightly cooled

1. Preheat your oven to 350* F and line 1-2 standard muffin tins with 12-16 liners. (I ended up putting my extra dough into a small 4×4 inch baking dish.)
2. In a large bowl stir together the oat flour, buckwheat flour, almond meal, flax, cinnamon, powder, soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk together the eggs. Then whisk in the applesauce, milk, honey, and vanilla until fully combined. Wait to add the margarine.
3. In another bowl stir all of the “filling” ingredients together until fully incorporated. Set aside.
4. Whisk in the 1/4 cup melted butter to the wet ingredients then pour the wet into the dry and stir or whisk until just combined [when you no longer see dry flour]. Fold in the nut mixture and portion into muffin liners about 3/4 the way full.
5. Bake muffins for 17-22 minutes and test with a toothpick for doneness [slightly moist, not sticky]. Let muffins cool for about 7-10 minutes.  Keeping muffins in their liners drizzle a small amount of honey over each muffin, then a sprinkle of nuts, then another small drizzle of honey, and then about 1/2 teaspoon melted margarine over each.  Let fully cool.  Muffins will firm and hold together once cooled.

Mom’s Cornbread

I call it my mom’s cornbread, but it likely came from a cookbook printed in my hometown in Michigan. It’s a Northern version of cornbread (sweeter than what’s made in the American South).

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk (I used almond milk this time)
• 1/4 cup oil

1. Mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Combine milk, eggs, and oil. Add liquid to dry ingredients; stir only enough to mix.
2. Pour batter into a 9x9x2-inch greased baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes until the top springs back when touched.

AMERICAN INDIAN: Pumpkin Bread

I tried all winter to find the perfect pumpkin bread recipe. Finally, with my last tray of frozen pumpkin from the fall, I found it. This recipe is adapted from RootStock, the twice-a-year flyer for Organic Valley.

1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine, softened
1 cup maple syrup
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a loaf pan.
2. Cream the margarine, maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla in a large bowl. Use a separate, large bowl and a wire whisk to mix the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the pecans.
3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until barely incorporated–do not over mix. Spoon batter into loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool the bread for 15-20 minutes on wire rack, then remove the loaf from the pan to cool the rest of the way.