Veggie Banh Mi

Gorditas Dulces

IT'S FALL! My favorite time of year. I love everything about fall; The crisp air, the colors, the smells, and most of all the flavors. Cinnamon is the epitome of fall in my opinion and lately I have been craving its warm, sweet and savory flavor.

The other day I had arepas for the first time at a local Venezuelan restaurant. The savory cornmeal cakes reminded me of my Tia's sweet Mexican gorditas (similar to gorditas de horno) and I have been craving them lately, so I decided to make them. They are sort of like an unleavened cinnamon English muffin, so they pair very nicely with your morning coffee, tea, or spicy Mexican hot chocolate!

A few things to note about this recipe is that it utilizes piloncillo, a cone of unrefined cane sugar, which can be found at most mexican stores, if you are unable to find it you may substitute with regular brownsugar but the taste will not be the same. Also, this involves taking whole sticks of cinnamon and grinding them to fine pieces, so yes, there will be tiny chunks of cinnamon bark in the gorditas. If this doesnt appeal to you, you can use half the called for amount in regular powdered cinnamon.

Tia Sandra's Gorditas Dulces
  
 4 cups whole wheat flour
12 oz piloncillo (Mexican brownsugar)
1/3  cup whole mexican cinnamon (3-4 sticks)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 lb shortening

Take the cinnamon sticks and pulse them in a blender, food processor or blade grinder until they are about 1/4 inch pieces. Combine the whole wheat flour and cinnamon and set aside. Dissolve the piloncillo in about 1 1/2 cups boiling water until completely dissolved and set aside to cool completely. 

Add the shortening to the flour cutting it with two knives (or a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cooled water/piloncillo mizture in parts mixing with a wooden spoon or your hands after each addition until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl discard any remaining liquid. 

Roll the dough into 2 inch balls and then roll each ball in flour to completely coat the outside. 

Set the balls aside to rest for about an hour. 

Heat a large griddle or thick non stick pan (I used my comal) on medium low heat. DO NOT USE OIL!!Roll out the balls with a rolling pin (or flatten with your hands as I did) to about 1/2 inch thickness. Slowly cook the gorditas until the inside is done. the outsides of the gorditas should be dark but not burnt. Lower the heat if they start to burn. This step is the most time consuming. The gorditas should take about 15 minutes each side to cook otherwise the inside will taste like raw flour.. There may be a way to cook all of them in the oven, but I haven't experimented. 

Serve warm gorditas alongside a cup of a hot beverage of your choice. Enjoy!

  

Sweet and Sour Tofu

I have been trying different ways to work with tofu. It is such a versatile food since it absorbs anything it touches, and it can be prepared many different ways. Here, I took frozen and defrosted super firm tofu, cut it into cubes, breaded and fried it and tossed it with a homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe I found online.

Fried Panko Breaded Tofu

3 cups of peanut or canola oil

1 cup of cornstartch

2 eggs slightly beaten

2 tablespoons of water

3 cups of Panko bread crumbs

1 tablespoon of seasoning ( I use thai five spice seasoning)

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oil in medium sauce pan to 375 degrees. To prepare the tofu: Freeze and thaw tofu ahead of time. It changes the texture pleasantly and makes it absorb more flavor (though if you haven't done it ahead of time this step isn't completely necessary, but the food will taste better if you do). Gently squeeze any remaining water from the tofu. Line up three bowls, in the first bowl put the cornstarch, in the second, mix the egg and water and in the third mix the panko bread crumbs with the seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Cube the tofu block into 3/4 inch cubes, dredge them in cornstarch and shake off extra , dunk the cubes in the egg and then into the panko bread crumbs and finally into the hot oil. Fry until golden and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (If you don't like spicy reduce)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons minced ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 red bell pepper, stemmed,seeded and cut it into squares

One carrot peeled and cut diagonally

2 cups cubed pineapple

1/4 cup green onion, for garnish <-- I used chives

cooked rice (for serving)

In a large sauce pan heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute about 30 seconds. Pour the pineapple juice mixture into the saucepan with the ginger and garlic and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and the peppers and cook until the carrots are tender Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and the sherry, mixing well. Add the cornstarch-sherry mixture to the simmering pineapple juice mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add the pineapple chunks.

Mix with tofu and serve over rice. Garnish with chives.

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Homemade Spagetti Noodles with Pesto, Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes

This is the first recipe I made using my fresh homemade pasta. The pesto is just a basic pesto recipe and it's spicy garlic taste is toned down by tangy goat cheese and fresh grape tomatoes. It is the perfect recipe for a quick no cook sauce that is both tasty and fresh. Great for using up excess basil you may have lying around.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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• Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

From: www.simplyrecipes.com

Mix cooked pasta with the pesto and add crumbled goat cheese to taste. (I use about 2 oz per 1/4 lb of pasta) Rinse and halve grape tomatoes and toss. Serve immediately.

Homemade Semolina Pasta

As I mentioned before, I love to use my bread machine for cutting time on preparing doughs from scratch. My bread machine has a pasta dough kneading function and I used it for the first time today to make some Semolina pasta. It only takes 14 minutes for my bread machine to mix the dough and then it needs to rest for a half hour (44 minutes that you don't even have to touch the dough. So, in this time you can make a sauce, watch an episode of your favorite show, or catch up on facebook.) In 5 minutes, I can roll and cut it with my pasta machine. Home made fresh pasta cooks in under two minutes so really making pasta from scratch isn't that much more time consuming than cooking commercial pasta, and I promise you, the work put into this is worth it! The taste of fresh pasta is not replicable! Note: You don't need to have a pasta roller/cutter rolling and cutting by hand can be done. Though it will take longer.

Semolina Pasta

(From The bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook by Beth Hensperger)

7/8 cup warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups unbleached all purpose or bread flour

1 cup semolina pasta flour

1 teaspoon salt

Place all the ingredients in the bread pan according to the order in the manufacturer's instructions (I just put them in according to whatever mood I am in. I am not sure it makes a difference maybe it does... but I couldn't tell you) Program for the Dough or the Pasta Dough Cycle; Press Start. Set a kitchen timer for 7 minutes. When the timer rings, check the dough ball that has collected on the blade. It should be firm but pliable. If it is too dry, add a couple drops of water while the machine is kneading. if it is too moist, sprinkle in some all -purpose flour, a teaspoon at a time. Reset the time for 3 more minutes. When the timer rings, press stop to cancel the cycle. (I have actually just left it to go the full 14 minutes and haven't had any problems). Remove the dough from the machine, wrap in plastic wrap, and let sit for 30 minutes.

Click here to watch how to roll pasta by machine This guy uses a mixer attatchment roller, I have a hand crank. To roll by hand, you need a lightly floured surface and rolling pin. Basically you mimic the steps as done with a machine but with your rolling pin. Roll out to the desired thickness... Here is an interesting site that shows how to cut various pasta shapes by hand.

You can use homemade pasta in place of commercial pasta in any recipe.

Grilled Vegetable Frittata

I like to grill veggies in bulk. They can be used in lots of recipes. One of my favorite ways to incorporate grilled veggies into a hearty breakfast is by mixing it with eggs and stale bread in a frittata.

Frittatas are what I like to call garbage dishes, because you can put whatever you want or have on hand into them: veggies, pasta, meats, cheese, stale bread, etc. The only thing that is necessary for a frittata is egg, and you will need an oven safe frying pan or skillet. So try it with whatever you like! Enjoy!

Grilled vegetable Frittata

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 cup Any mixture of grilled veggies (for this particular frittata I had grilled grape tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, red and yellow bell peppers, and red onions)

1/2 cup Stale ciabatta (or any kind of bread you have) cut into cubes

3 eggs slightly beaten

1 teaspoon heavy cream (or milk, or half and half)

1/4 cup of shredded cheese (any kind you want, I used a quattro formaggio mix from trader joes)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium sized OVEN SAFE frying pan or skillet (I think I used my 8 inch), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bread to toast slightly, and then the vegetables, season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Stir until the veggies are warmed through and arrange everything evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Mix the beaten eggs with the cream and cheese, and slowly pour the mixture over the arranged veggies and bread. Immediately put the skillet onto the middle rack of the oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until the eggs are fluffy and cooked through. Remove from the oven, let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes and turn out onto a large plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. (This is even tasty as leftovers, cold from the fridge)

Barbecue Tofu

For the past couple times I have bought tofu, I will put the block directly in the freezer. It changes the texture and the tofu will soak up flavors more. Click here to read about freezing tofu.

Tofu is like a sponge, it soaks up anything you marinade it in. My mother in law makes this yummy barbecue tofu, which this recipe is adapted from. She makes her own barbecue sauce, which I don't know the ingredients of except for one: Peanut butter. I know it sounds weird but adding a couple tablespoons of creamy peanut butter adds a nice complexity to the barbecue sauce without overpowering it. You can use a bottled bbq sauce if you like. The sweet ones seem to work for this application (honey barbecue) and seem to take the flavor of the peanut butter well. Making your own bbq sauce is simple enough if you don't have any on hand. I used this recipe as a base and started adding my own touch (see my notes in red). This is also great to snack on the next day right out of the refrigerator, of course if you are patient you could reheat it.

Neely's Barbecue Sauce

1 medium onion roughly chopped sauteed in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft and golden

2 cups ketchup

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons sugar <--I used smoked muscavado brown sugar instead
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder<-- I used garlic powder instead
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce <-- Annie's brand makes a vegetarian Worchestershire
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 teaspoons of Chipotle tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
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• In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

From: www.foodnetwork.com

To assemble the Tofu:

Thaw frozen tofu (make sure it's extra firm and not silken) completely and gently squeeze out excess liquid (I put the block of tofu between two cutting boards and add a little pressure.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tofu block into rib-like pieces. Spread a layer of barbecue sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (some times I layer sliced onion on the bottom). Arrange the tofu cut size down (this will help it soak up the barbecue sauce) and spoon more barbecue sauce on top of each of the pieces. Bake for 20 minutes or until the barbecue is bubbling and the tofu looks a little caramelized, turning the pieces over halfway through the baking process.