For the Super Bowl this year, AK really wanted a hot dog bar. We made some of the usual hot dog toppings (caramelized onions, pickled cabbage), but I was at Shoppers and red peppers were on sale 4 for $5, which is amazingly cheap at least in my area, so I wanted to do some kind of red pepper condiment for the hot dogs too. I perused through some of the canning and pickling cookbooks we received as wedding gifts and came across a recipe for Sweet Red Pepper Relish in Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff.

Looking at the recipe, I was a bit skeptical that it would be a good hot dog condiment, but decided to throw caution to the wind. It wasn’t like the other people at our Super Bowl party have never tasted anything funky from me before :) I didn’t want an overly sweet relish so I reduced the amount sugar in the recipe, and I wanted it to be spicy as well as sweet so I added sriracha. It came out more like jam than a relish, but the sweet-spicy combination was divine paired with the salty hot dogs (apparently it was also good with the chili and caramelized onions–yes, multiple people tried it :)). If you are a cream cheese and jelly lover, this relish would be PERFECT for that. I haven’t tried it yet, but I could see it being pretty darn good on vanilla ice cream too (the blueberry jam is awesome for that too). And if you’re sick of the whole cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving thing, I think this relish could make a very good substitute.

Sweet & Spicy Red Pepper Jam
Adapted from Canning for a New Generation

Ingredients

4 cups finely chopped red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups white or apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sriracha

Directions

1. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl.
2. Stem and seed the peppers (I used 4 very large ones) and cut them into large chunks. Using a food processor or the chopper attachment for your immersion blender, pulse to chop the peppers finely, but don’t puree them. Drain the chopped peppers in the sieve, squeezing to remove the liquid. Reserve pepper juice for another purpose if you like (red pepper jelly?).
3. Place peppers, sugar, vinegar, and sriracha in a large stock pot (I used an 8 quart wide stock pot). Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently, until larger pepper pieces are very soft and liquid has become thick and syrupy. Taste and adjust vinegar, sugar, and sriracha to your liking.
4. Spoon into containers and cool (or you can can it, see more about that here). Serve warm or cold.

The cost:
peppers: $5
pantry: $1

Grand total: $6.00 (12-14 oz)

I started experimenting with jam last winter when I started reading an awesome blog called Food in Jars. If you have any interest in canning, or just want to see some cool recipes, definitely check it out. Unfortunately I don’t really have space to actually can and store anything, so I stick with refrigerator jams.

One of my favorite things about making jam is that I can customize them to my tastes. For example, I prefer a tarter jam, which is virtually impossible to find in a store-bought jam. You can also make jams with cool flavor combinations, like pear-cardamom, cinnamon-plum, cranberry-apple (I’ll share the recipes at some point, don’t worry!), and today’s recipe: Blueberry & Meyer Lemon Jam.

Meyer lemons are similar to regular lemons, but their juice is a little sweeter and their zest is even more fragrant. Their skin is very smooth, compared to the skin of a regular lemon. And Costco was selling them for an insanely cheap price (yes, it was a container of about 12 so I also made lemon bars, lemon muffins, and a lot of lemon dressing. But I digress). Blueberries too (3.99 for a 24 oz. container, some of which went into my whole grain blueberry breakfast scones).

What I love the most about making jam is that it’s actually amazingly easy. Throw some fruit, spices and sugar (and pectin, if necessary) in a pot, boil, cool, eat. This recipe is for a refrigerator jam, which means that I just store it in the fridge rather than actually canning it for a longer-term storage. I use 1/2 pint (8 oz.) Ball jars. Read more about jars here.

The one thing you have to pay attention to when making jam is pectin. Pectin is a natural gelling agent that exists in a lot of fruit, but some fruits need a little bit of added pectin to make them gel. Blueberries, cranberries, and stone fruits like apricots and peaches are high in pectin, but strawberries and apples may need a bit of help. Canning is actually incredibly scientific; you can read more about it here and here.

Blueberry & Meyer Lemon Jam

Ingredients:

20 oz. (about 3 cups) fresh blueberries, rinsed
zest and juice of 2 meyer lemons
1 tsp good quality cinnamon
1/3 cup white sugar or other sweetener of your choice
2 glass 1/2 pint jars with lids, washed well in hot, soapy water, and dried

Directions

1. Place a metal teaspoon in the freezer.
2. Place ingredients in a heavy saucepan large enough so that the berries only come halfway up the sides.
3. Cook over medium flame until the berries begin to break down and release their juices, stirring occasionally. Once the pan starts boiling, stir constantly until the berries pop and the liquid thickens to a syrup-y texture, about 12-15 minutes (you can be very scientific and use a thermometer to ensure it gets to the right temperature, but I don’t). Halfway through, taste to see if the sweet/sour ratio is to your liking, and adjust accordingly with more lemon juice or sugar.
4. To see if your jam is done, remove the spoon from the freezer and place a small amount of jam on it. If the jam gels right away, it’s done. If not, cook a few minutes longer.
5. Remove from heat and spoon jam into clean jars (mine filled two 1/2 pint jars). Cap the jars and let them rest on the counter until cool to the touch, then refrigerate for up to 4 weeks (or longer…we’ll use it until it starts to smell off or get moldy).

I have tried a number of scone recipe recently, but I’ve been looking for something that’s similar in texture, but with less fat and less sugar. Something more like a breakfast bar than a dessert. So when I stumbled across this recipe, I was really happy.

Karina Alrich of Gluten-Free Goddess has become my go-to for recipes and inspiration. These scones use coconut oil, which gave me the idea that I could use oil in place of shortening. These scones are also not as sweet as other scones, and they are packed with whole grains like brown rice, millet, quinoa flakes, and rice bran. The hazelnut meal gives these scones a real depth of flavors, and the blueberries give a sweet little pop at the end. Sweet, but not too sweet. Perfection :)

Note: I order my gluten-free baking ingredients from www.vitacost.com, because they have free shipping for orders over $49 and many of their products are significantly cheaper than in the store (for example, the bran of coconut milk I prefer normally costs 2.49 in the store but it’s 1.88 here). Yes, gluten-free flours are an investment but I am so happy I made it. Stay tuned for a post on my choice gluten-free baking ingredients.

Whole Grain Blueberry Breakfast Scones
Adapted from the Gluten-Free Goddess

Ingredients

1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/4 cup hazelnut meal
1/4 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup rice bran
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
1/3 cup soy milk
2 handfuls of fresh blueberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients by whisking till blended (brown rice flour through cinnamon).
3. Whisk together oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients.
4. Add soy milk a few tablespoons at a time and stir until you see the dough relax and become smooth and pliable. It should be slightly sticky, but not wet. Stir in blueberries.
5. Scoop the dough into a greased 8×8 square baking dish or 8 inch pie plate. Using wet hands, pat the dough so it is even all around.
6. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges are a golden brown.
7. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough to create 9 squares (if you are using a square dish) or 10 wedges (if you are using a pie plate).
8. Kiss your favorite person (this doesn’t actually have anything to do with the recipe but it was included in the original recipe, where you are supposed to let the dough rest. I left it in because it’s fun :)).
9. Place the pan in the center rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the
10. Remove the scones from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes, then carefully move them one by one onto a cooling rack. You might have to cut them again in a few places.

I’m a big fan of cold fruit soups, but good fresh fruit isn’t really available in the winter. While frozen fruit will never be as good as fresh, flash frozen fruit is actually a pretty good substitute. I’ve done a lot of cold berry soups, so this time I opted for peach and mango, with hints of ginger and cardamom, topped with a little bit of fresh mint.

This soup is best when you’ve made it the night before and allow the flavors to have a chance to marry, but you can also make it and serve the same day, just make sure you chill it first (it’s not nearly as good warm).

Notes:

• When you buy frozen fruit, make sure there is no added sugar listed in the ingredients.
• I’ve been able to start eating some dairy again, so I made this soup with milk, but you can use a milk substitute (I recommend soy) and it will still be great. You can also use non-dairy whip topping or sour cream in place of the real stuff for garnish.

Peach-Mango-Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

16 oz frozen peach pieces
12 oz frozen mango pieces
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar or honey
2 tsp finely minced ginger
8 cardamom seeds
1 cup milk or non-dairy milk substitute
fresh chopped mango (if you can find one) (optional)
sour cream or whipped cream for garnish (optional)
mint for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Place frozen fruit, water, sugar/honey, ginger, and cardamom in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until fruit is very soft, 15-20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and puree everything with a stick blender, or in batches in a regular blender. If you like, strain through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth for a smooth texture.
3. Allow soup to cool to room temperature, then stir in milk. Chill before serving.
4. Garnish with fresh mango, sour cream or whipped cream, and finely chopped mint.

Shepherd’s pie is really easy to change up. Make a Thanksgiving version with ground turkey and a sweet potato or squash topping. Make a Tex-Mex version with ground beef, green peppers, corn, and taco sauce. You get the idea :).

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 parsnips, peeled and cubed
2 tsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 lb ground meat (I used 1/2 turkey 1/2 beef)
1/2 can drained sweet peas
1 14 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup

smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Place potatoes and parsnips in a pot of boiling salted water. Cook until fork tender, 12-15 minutes.
2. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 degrees and heat oil in a large skillet over a medium flame.
3. Add onion, garlic, and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Add meat and cook 3-4 minutes until browned. Add peas, tomatoes, and ketchup, stirring to combine. Spoon into the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish.
4. Drain potatoes and parsnips, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Mash potatoes and parsnips with olive oil and cooking liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into baking dish, smoothing over meat mixture. Top with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
5. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until topping is browned.

Notes:

• I find that canned tomatoes are very salty unless you can find a no salt added version of fire-roasted tomatoes (I haven’t been able to), so I don’t find that I need any additional salt in this recipe. However, you might feel differently so add salt to taste.
• You could easily make an abbreviated version of this dish with ground meat, a can of a sloppy joe sauce, and mashed potatoes. But it’s worth the extra work, I promise :)

I’ve been making a lot of pad thai recently (yes, I’ll share the recipe soon, still perfecting it), and the sauce is definitely the best part of pad thai (although AK would argue the mung beans are…I digress). Classic pad thai sauce is a combination of tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce (or soy sauce). If you’ve never had it before, it’s this great combination of sour, sweet, and salty. I took those base ingredients and made them into a BBQ sauce, which I then slathered on a whole chicken and roasted low and slow in the oven. The result: Succulent oven-roasted BBQ chicken.

If you don’t eat meat, this sauce also works great with tofu–just brush on tofu slices and bake in the oven. You can also double or triple this recipe and store extra sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

A note about tamarind pulp: You can buy tamarind paste or tamarind sauce in most stores, but if you are feeling adventurous I highly recommend making your own; it’s time intensive but tastes a lot fresher (check out this post for lots of information about tamarind, and how to make your own pulp). If you are using a store-bought tamarind sauce, make sure the ingredients don’t include sugar; if they do, add palm sugar in this recipe to taste so you don’t end up with overly sweet BBQ sauce.

Thai BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tamarind pulp
1/8 cup gluten free soy sauce
1/8 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger or 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp sriracha
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 large onion sliced into rings
1 whole 3 lb chicken

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees (or set up your crockpot).
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients but the onion and chicken.
3. Place the onions in the bottom of a baking dish that just fits the chicken. Smear the BBQ sauce all over the chicken, inside the cavity, and under the skin. Place chicken in baking dish.
4. Cover the chicken with a foil tent so that the foil covers the baking dish but doesn’t actually touch the chicken.
5. Bake the chicken for 4.5-5 hours at 250 degrees, or 6 hours on low in your crockpot. If your chicken is larger than 3 lbs, bake until it’s cooked through.

A bunch of food bloggers I follow have recently shared some of their kitchen disasters. It’s funny–as a food blogger, I share a lot of my recipes and the stories but go with them, but never the things I make that aren’t good. Like the chickpea curry I made last week that I loved and AK hated. Or the chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago that only half rose. Tonight I had a total baking failure. And I’ve decided to share it with you.

I don’t hide my food failures because I’m embarrassed. I don’t share them because I honestly don’t think that my readers care. But you guys are home cooks too–and I’m sure you’ve had your share of kitchen disasters! Part of cooking and baking is experimenting, and sometimes the experiments (or mistakes…) are great (like when I forgot to add sugar to my chocolate chip banana nut muffins that still came out awesome). But sometimes they look like this.

He’s leering at me. Two eyes and a smirky little mouth.

I’m not quite sure what happened. I was anticipating light and fluffy vanilla cupcakes, but these really came out more like corn muffins (nothing corn in them though…). The tops look like lace cookies–they over-rose and spread out.

Well, onto the next recipe. At least they taste good even if they are pretty ugly :)

]]> http://pennypinchingepicure.com/2011/12/cupcake-failure/feed/ 2 http://pennypinchingepicure.com/2011/12/cupcake-failure/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennyPinchingEpicure/~3/zepBUoaB6cc/ http://pennypinchingepicure.com/2011/11/tofu-vegetable-hot-pot/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:29:27 +0000 Rella http://pennypinchingepicure.com/?p=866

The weather has turned cold here, and earlier than usual–we had snow on Saturday! It was freezing in the office today so I came home craving something hot and soothing. I’ve been meaning to replicate the vegetable hot pot at a favorite restaurant of mine, and I just happened to have some leftover cabbage and mushrooms in my fridge.

I did a bit of research on hot pots, and mine doesn’t technically qualify as one. Traditionally, a hot pot is made by cooking all of the vegetables, meats, and seafood in a big pot of simmering liquid. I sauted all of my vegetables and added the liquid after, but I think it still counts :)

A few notes:

• If you are gluten-free, take care to read the ingredients on any container of miso you plan to eat. Miso is frequently made by fermenting barley, so make sure you get a rice-based miso. I used a mellow red miso, and different brands and styles of miso can vary in saltiness, so start with a little less miso–you can always add more, but it’s hard to take out.
• You also need to read the soy sauce bottle carefully–hydrolized wheat protein is a cheap filler that many companies add to the mix (La Choy is the only mainstream soy sauce brand that is gluten-free and available in regular grocery stores).
• I used baby portabello mushrooms, but you can use variety you like, and even mix a couple varieties. I also used regular cabbage in my soup because it’s what I had on hand, but Napa would be more traditional.
• I happened to have thai rice vermicelli on hand so I used those, but if you can find Asian glass noodles that’s traditionally what would be used in this recipe.

Tofu & Vegetable Hot Pot

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 medium carrot, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup thinly sliced cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 Tbsp miso paste
4 cups water, divided
1/4 tsp sriracha
1 block of firm tofu, cubed
2 tsp soy sauce

2 oz glass noodles or very thin vermicelli
hot water

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil. Add onion, carrot, cabbage, and mushroom. Cook for 3-4 minutes until onions are soft.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together miso and 1 cup of water until dissolved. Add remaining water and sriracha and stir to mix. Pour liquid into pot, add tofu, and stir to combine. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes. Taste and add soy sauce as necessary.
3. Meanwhile, place noodles in a large glass or heat-proof bowl. Pour hot water over noodles and allow to sit at least 10 minutes, until noodles are very pliable. Give the bowl a little shake every few minutes the move the noodles around.
4. Place about 1/4 of the noodles in the bottom of a soup bowl. Ladle soup over top and serve.

The cost:
onion: .29
carrot: .69
cabbage: 1.19
mushrooms: 1.69
miso: 3.99
tofu: 1.79
noodles: 1.99

Grand total: $11.63 , $2.91/person (ingredients are enough to make 2 batches)

It’s been a whirlwind couple of months–I moved into a new apartment, married the man of my dreams (seriously not saying that to be cheesy–he’s pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to me), and I made the decision to leave my job for a very exciting new opportunity. I like to do all my big life changes at once :) More wedding pics here!

But before I start my new job, I’m taking some time off. To have me time. And the first order of business: Gluten free bread!

Bread is probably the one thing I miss most about being gluten free. Sure, there are plenty of companies like Udi’s that make pretty awesome bread, but there is something special about freshly baked bread that store-bought can’t replicate. It is most certainly time intensive if you do it by hand and not in a bread machine, but I have some time on my hands.

My house hasn’t smelled like freshly baked bread in 3 years. Today, I sat on my couch sipping tea and enjoying the delicious aroma of a gluten free cinnamon raisin boule :)

Now, it is an investment to buy a variety of gluten free flours. I decided that I wanted to make the investment, and I found a website called VitaCost that had very reasonable prices and free shipping if you spent $49. Since my kitchen is kosher, I bought Bob’s Red Mill (which is certified kosher and has lots of rave reviews), but there are a variety of brands that sell gluten free flours. I bought: Sorghum, Millet, Brown Rice, White Rice, Tapioca, Amaranth, Potato Starch, Chickpea, and of course Xanthum Gum (the key to making gluten free dough act like it has gluten in it). All together they cost $38.71, and with a few bags of gluten free pretzels and crackers I had free shipping. A few others flours I plan to get sometime soon: Almond, hazelnut, coconut, buckwheat, and corn.

It seemed like a good idea to test my hand at gluten free bread baking with some tried and true recipes from one of my go-to gluten free inspirations: Gluten-Free Girl. If you are gluten free and haven’t yet checked out her blog, it is a must. Not only does she write and photograph beautifully, she crafts the most delicious recipes that are so good even your non gluten free friends will be raving about your culinary prowess!

So behold, my first gluten free bread attempt:

It tastes, and more importantly feels, like bread. BREAD! Do you know how long it’s been since I was able to sink my teeth into a warm, chewy, spongy piece of heaven? It didn’t rise as much as I thought it would, so it was more like a foccacia than a sandwich loaf, but oh my, did I enjoy eating it. I may or may not have nibbled away half a loaf before I made myself put it away.

Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Boule
Slightly adapted from Gluten-Free Girl’s Gluten-Free Boule.

A boule is a French term meaning “ball,” and it’s basically a rustic loaf that you shape into a circular shape and bake. I baked mine in a shallow pie dish, but if you have a pizza or bread stone, the recipe says you can use that. I made very few changes–I added some raisins and cinnamon in place of the olives and rosemary, and I used agave instead of honey since the honey jar lid was stuck :); my dough was also pretty sticky (I think because of the humidity) so instead of shaping the dough into balls, I kinda poured them into grease pie plates and baked them that way. Once it was cooled a bit, I used a sharp chef’s knife to cut it into triangles. And then ate lots of them!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
1 Tablespoon granulated active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
1 Tablespoon good quality cinnamon
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (heated to 110°F)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons canola oil
1 Tablespoon honey or agave
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
2. In a small bowl, beat eggs. Add water, oil, and honey or agave. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir using a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be sticky. Stir in raisins.
3. Pour dough into a clean, greased bowl. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise in a warm place in your kitchen for about 2 hours.
4. Split dough in half and pour each half into a greased pie plate or loaf pan. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rest for another 30-40 minutes. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until the tops are golden and firm, and the bottoms are golden (if you are using a glass baking dish).
6. Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing (Shauna is right–this is very hard but necessary :)).

I don’t know why, but there is something so warm and comforting about stuffed peppers. A little while back when a friend of mine lost her father, I made these stuffed peppers, hoping to comfort her as well.

The great thing about stuffed peppers is you can pretty much stuff them with anything. Pick a cooked grain, a protein, saute some onions and veggies of your choice, pop them in the pepper and bake. You can make them meat, dairy, vegan…you get the idea :)

This is also a great way to utilize green peppers (much cheaper than colored peppers, unless they are on sale), because their raw bitterness mellows out during the baking process.

Here I chose a base of brown rice which I paired with shallots, garlic, baby bella mushrooms, and ground turkey. Here are a couple of other great pairings I’ve used:

• Quinoa w/ sauted onions, zucchini, yellow squash, cubed seasoned tofu
• White rice w/ onions, shitake mushrooms, ground beef
• Millet w/ corn, chopped tomatoes, and cheese

Peppers Stuffed w/ Rice, Mushrooms, & Turkey

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb lean ground turkey
10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cups cooked brown rice
salt & pepper to taste
6 peppers, tops cut off an innards removed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium flame. Saute onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and turkey and cook until browned. Add mushrooms and cook until they have released their liquid. Remove from heat and stir in rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place peppers in a greased baking dish. Divide rice mixture evenly between peppers.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until peppers are soft and rice mixture is brown and crunchy.

The cost:
oil: pantry
garlic: .10
onion: .49
turkey: 3.99
mushroom: 1.99
rice: .99
peppers: 4.99

Grand total: $12.55 ($2.09/serving)