Orange cup cakes

What you need for 12 cupcakes


Dry
1cup whole wheat Pastry flour
1cup White flour
1.5 teaspoon Baking Powder
0.5 teaspoon Baking Soda
1.5 teaspoon Egg Re placer
0.5 teaspoon salt

Wet
2 cups Orange Juice
4 table spoon Canola oil
3/4 cups organic sugar

What you do...

Pre-heat oven 350F

Shift and mix well all Dry ingredients. Whisk all wet ingredients, make sure whisk until sugar dissolved. Pour Wet to Dry, and combine flour and liquid. Do not over mix.
Pour butter in to cup cake pan. Bake 15- 20 minutes.

Enjoy Orangy bites.

simple and tasty

sliced unpeeled rutabaga and parsnip cook in a water with a little bit of Earth Balance and blend until creamy - soup and grilled kabocha squash.

for lunch?

freekeh + farro with chick peas and mushrooms

I am a working member of 4th street food co-op, only food co-op in Manhattan.


The finest, organic, vegan ingredients are packed in this small co-op.


Todays dishe's all ingredients were shopped at our powerfull co-op and this receipe is also from one of the co-op member.

freekeh, farro

onions, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, chickpeas, cardamon seeds, caraway seeds

Soak freekeh and farro overnight. chop onions and sautee in large pot with olive oil. Add freekeh and farro, add soup stock bring to boil then simmer for 40minutes or until cooked. In a separate large skillet sautee mushrooms in olive oil. Add cooked chickpeas,salt, spices. When graines are cooked stir in the mushroom-chick peas mixture.

fu - biscuit

My good friend - who loves NYC very much but now (forced to or may not.. ) live in Tokyo - sent me a package of fu and a recipe for fu along with other nice healthy japanese food.







This is wheat gluten called fu in Japan.

You need :

40grams fu

4table spoons Earth Balance (melted)

4table spoons sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon powder

and you do:

Combine fu with melted Earth Balance and then sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over fu and gently mixing until all surface of fu are coated with cinnamon-sugar.

transfer fu to a tray and bake 320F for eight to ten minutes, or until fu become golden.

It turned into.....

very crunchy, very tasty biscuit ! I love it. Thank you!

sweet-and-sour tempeh with spicy peanut sauce

this recipe from : The modern vegetarian kitchen - Peter Berly

sprouted lentils - eat in raw or steamed ?

Sprouted lentils are soft , crunchy and wonderfully sweet, so I happily munch.. and munch .. it's a healthy snack - sprouted lentils + apples,celery etc...any fruits or vegetables.

But when cooked, the sweetness disappear.


Steam sprouted lentils just 5-10 minutes (don't over steamed to make lentils mushy) mix with olive oil , diced red peppers, chopped sun dried tomatoes and scallions. season with salt, pepper and cumin powder.

retsel mill-rite mill

This mill had been on my wish list for almost ten years, and finally since Feb. 2010 it has been sitting on my kitchen counter. This mill has stone /steel burr conversion. Using stone conversion kit, I can grind any type of wheat from fine to coarse. On the other hand the metal burr conversion kit grinds beans, seeds, herbs from fine to coarse. So I would have , for example very fine corn flower / corn meal to bake corn bread and coarse corn meal for polenta, any time without making a trip to natural food stores. Also I do not need to worried about "How long these packages of corn meal stay on this shelves?" when I shop. Isn't it wonderful?

Mill -rite mill gently grinding fine whole wheat flour, like a fluffy snow flakes

winter minestrone soup

minestrone - lima beans, daikon, leeks, carrots, butternut squash, tomatoes

broccoli and porchini sauteed with olive oil, garlics, red pepper flakes

whole wheat sourdough bred

vegetable bun

1cup flour (whole wheat and white flour combination)
1teaspoon+1/4teaspoon Baking Powder
2teaspoon sucanat
Pinch of sea salt
1/3cup soy milk or water
1.5teaspoon seame oil

In a bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt. Stir soy milk and sesame oil and add to the flour. Using your finger, incorporate the soy milk into the flour until a soft moist dough is formed, if the dough is too dry or stiff add water 1teaspoon at a time. Wrap it in plastic and rest for 10-15 minutes.

Mean while prepare filling. in a bowl stir together all ingredients.

1/4 cabbage, chopped and mixing with 1 teaspoon salt.
1/2bunch of Nira, chopped
4 of shiitake, chopped
hand full of vermicelli soaked in a warm water and cut
in a bowl stir together all ingredients.
Add seasoning: shouyu, sake, ginger, sesame oil.



Take out the dough on the floured board, cut into 6(small size)or 4(large). Shaped equal sized patties. Roll Roll them out 1/8 inch thick round. Place the filling in the center. Lift the edges of the dough over the filling,and twist them together to seal. Place buns in to the steamer and steam with middle high heat for 10-15minutes.

okara (pumpkin) scone

Okara make very light and soft scone.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2cup white flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 tablespoon Earth Balance, cut in small dice

3tablespoons Agave Nectar
1/2 cup soy milk or water
1cup/ 8 ounces okara
1/2 cup / 4ounces : pumpkin, squash, yam, sweet potato, carrot, broccoli ... TRY! any vegetable puree

In the bowl, mix flour, baking powder and Earth Balance until well combined like wet sand texture

Mix all wet ingredients in the bowl.

Add mixed wet ingredients to flour and mix (do not over mix) to make a mass.
Transfer to floured surface and roll out or press until 3/4 inch thick.
Using a glass to cut a round shape.
Bake in the 400F oven for 15~ minutes.

strawberry mouse with lima beans whip

strawberry mouse
2cups strawberry
1.5teaspoons agar gar powder, dissolve with 2tablespoons water
1cup non daily milk
2tablespoons Agave Nectar (or more )

Combine agar agar and, milk and Agave Nectar in the pot and cook until boiling.
Transfer into the blender, add strawberry and blend well until become foamy.
Pour into the bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

beans whip
Cook over night soaked Lima beans until soft. Add sugar and cook more. Drain (reserve liquid) beans, and "whip" in the blender, adjust consistency with reserved liquid.

lotus root salad

Slice lotus root and blanch for 3-5 minutes and drain. Slice celery. In a bowl, combine Vegenaise and ponzu, add lotus root and celery, mixing well.When serve sprinkle roasted and crushed sesame.

rice paper rolls

Let's enjoy wrapping, rolling and chewing a lot of pure, fresh vegetables with rice papers. Among today's ingredients, mint, cilantro, mesculin, sprout are grown at my small back yard. I wish I would have more space to grow "serious" vegetables.



rice papers/spring roll wrappers
(from top to clockwise)
arame (seaweed)
mescurin
mint leaves
soft tofu, drained
carrot
sprout
abura age(flied bean curd),blanched and drained
cucumber
cilantro

spicy shouyu sauce
4tablespoons shouyu
2tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1teaspoon hot sesame oil
1teaspoon agave nectar
1-2tablespoons water
1/4cup unsalted peanut, finely chopped



tahini sauce
4tablespoons tahini
2tablespoons cider vinegar
1.5tablespoons shouyu
1tablespoon maple syrup
6tablespoons or more water
1 scallion, finely minced
1clove garlic, finely minced
1teaspoon grated ginger



Put warm water in a shallow bowl. Submerge 1 wrapper until softened. Transfer a wrapper on to the kitchen cloth to remove the water.
Place any ingredients you like on the wrapper and drizzle either tahini or spicy shouyu sauce on it,wrap, and bite.

ten beans salad

Ten different kinds of beans.




Soaked over night.





Cooked, drained, rinsed in cold water, and mix with vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, sliced onion, chiffonade mint leaves, chopped flat leaf parsley,and lightly toasted fennel seeds.

choco chip cookies

Health supportive, light and crunchy!



2/3 cup Earth Balance, margarine
1/2 sugar, Florida Cristals
2 tablespoon Agave Nectar
4 ounce soft/silken tofu
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cups soy milk

1 1/4 cups white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder(aluminum-free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 package 10 ounce Sunspire dark chocolate chips


preheat oven to 350F
In a mixing bowl, cream margarine, sugar with stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add tofu, soy milk and vanilla, beat for 1minute.
Shift flour, baking powder and soda in to a small bawl. Add to creamed margarine mixture and mix with a spatula until flour and margarine blending. Fold in chocolate ships. Drop by an ice cream scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until firm.

rhubarb more. . .

After I posted rhubarb tart, I wanted to make more rhubarb dessert. I rushed to the store to get this season's rhubarb. There were just a few left (sigh).

rhubarb mousse



serves 4

8 ounces rhubarb, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals
1 cup soy milk
2 tablespoons kuzu
1 teaspoon agar powder or 1 tablespoon agar flake
2 tablespoons agave nectar

In a pot, combine chopped rhubarb and sugar, set aside for over night or until sugar melt and rhubarb release some liquid.

cook over low heat until rhubarb getting out of shape. it will be 1 cup of cooked rhubarb.
In a small pot mix kanten and kuzu. Add 1/4 cup soy milk, stir until dissolved.
Add remaining 3/4 cup soy milk, keep stirring, cook over low heat until it has become thick and a little bit bubbling.

Put the rhubarb and soy milk into a blender and blend well.
Rinse a mold or bowl with cold water and pour in the rhubarb mixture. Set aside and chilled until firm.

Serve garnish with chopped pistachio nuts.




rhubarb kanten

serves 4

8 ounces rhubarb, chopped 1/4 inch cube
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon agar powder sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water or 1/2tablespoon agar flakes,sprinkle in 1 tablespoon water, set aside.

In a pot combine rhubarb cubes and sugar set aside over night or until sugar melt and rhubarb released some liquid. Cook over low medium heat, just 3 to 5 minutes or until rhubarb soft it will be 1/2 cup or less/more. In a small pot combine 1/2 cup water( make 1cup of water and cooked rhubarb) and agar, simmer over medium low heat, stirring, occasionally until kanten is dissolved. Pour rhubarb into kanten and simmer just 1-2 minutes, stir.

rinse a mold or small bowl with cold water and pour in the hot rhubarb kanten mixture. Set aside, and chill until firm.

from apple to rhubarb to ......

I got This fabulous dessert recipe from my friend and my friend got this recipe from her friend. Now I would tell you. My friend said that this recipe was German and she said the name "りんごのグース”but I can not spell it in English so just say "tart".
original recipe use apple, but I think it is great to use seasonal fruits. Of cause now is Rhubarb! and will be strawberry, blue berry, apricot, plum, peach,and pear .....I am looking forward to trying to use all seasonal fruits to make a "seasonal fruits tart" with this recipe. Thanks to my friend for this recipe.

Apple tart



















for the crust
1 and 1/4 cups flour
6 tablespoons Earth Balance, Margarine
4 tablespoons sugar, Florida Crystals
2 tablespoons soy milk

Whisk margarine and sugar until creamy with a stand mixer, add soy milk, mix until light and fluffy. Add flour to creamed mixture, to form a dough that gathers into a disk. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and place on the pie/tart pan. Prebake 20 minutes or until dough become dry ( not need fully baked ). take out from the oven and set aside.


for the filling

2 apples
2 tablespoons sugar,Florida Crystals
100 cc soy heavy cream*
120 cc soy milk
2 tablespoon flour
2tablespoon sugar, Florida Crystals

Core apples and cut into ～16 slices or coarsely chopped. Cook with 2tablespoons sugar with medium heat, until apple become slightly soft and moist ( not need to cook completely). Place the apple slices in the prebaked pie shell.

In a bowl, whisk together soy heavy cream, soy milk, sugar and flour. Strain through mesh strainer, and pour the mixture over the apples.
Bake 350F oven for 40 minutes or milk mixture become firm.

* I could not find Soy heavy cream in my neighbourhood stores(no US company make soy heavy cream, I think). What I used here was soy heavy cream from japan. I did not try though, soy sour cream could be a substitution.
Rhubarb tart















for the crust ( I used Spelt Fillo Dough,from the Fillo Factory )

8 sheets fillo
1/4 cup canola oil

Layer 8 fillo sheets, brushing each with canola oil. Cut circle from fillo using cutters slightly larger than tart pan diameter, in order to fillo circle is large enough to go completely up the sides. Pre bake 350f for 8-10 minutes.

for the filling

8 ounce, 2-3 stalks rhubarb, cut into 1/4inch slices
2-3 tablespoons sugar

Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium sauce pan, cook until the rhubarb is soft.
Do not over cook. Place the rhubarb in the prebaked fillo crust and pour the milk mixture over the rhubarb.
Bake 350 F for 40minutes or milk mixture become firm.








o

polenta & beans

I cooked a black bean chili today. But recently I have been little bit tired of "brown rice", so I picked broiled polenta instead of brown rice...... very good!





serves 2 - 3

chili
3 cups cooked black turtle beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup canned whole tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
salt to taste
2 tablespoons or more, fresh coriander, chopped

In a large pot, heat the oil, saute garlic and onion over medium heat, until onion become translucent. Add cumin, paprika, and pepper, and saute until fragrant.Add tomatoes and beans ( some bean-liquid ), stirring to blend. Add the salt and simmer, stirring, until mixture is thickened and beans are tender, about an hour. Serve, garnished with chopped coriander.


polenta/broiled (from the natural gourmet institute for food and health)

2 cups cornmeal
5-6 cups water
1 teaspoon salt

Toast cornmeal in a skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly until it has a nut like fragrance. Remove cornmeal from pan and let cool to room temperature. In a 3quart sauce pan mix cornmeal, salt and 4cups water, whisking until smooth. Over high flame, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thick.Add the remaining water, alittle at a time, stirring well to mix thoroughly. cover pot and simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Turn off the heat and let stand 15minutes with lid. Poor cooked polenta into a wet cooking sheet. let cool to room temperature , or until polenta is firm( it is better put polenta in the refrigerator, over night )Cut polenta in 3 inches square ( or desire shape and size) place on baking sheet and brush top side with olive oil. Broil until golden and crisp. Flip over, brush olive oil and broil until golden and crisp.

marmalade cake

The end of this March my friend of highschool classmate sent me her marmalade in the Ziploc bag by EMS( Express Mail service). This was made from natsu orange(extremely sour!!) in her garden. It was excellent marmalade, such a full of fresh orange taste and nice bitterness, and clear orange color .... I am looking forward to having her marmalade next year again, please send me.
I love marmalade. I reminded the marmalade cake my mother made,when I was young. I wanted to have one so I baked it.




for 6inches x 10inches baking pan

3 cups flour (1 1/2 cup white and 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour )
1 tablespoon baking powder(aluminum-free)
1 1/2 teaspoon egg replacer
1/2 cup Earth Balance, margarine
1 cup sugar,Florida Crysatals, or less ( I used 2/3 cup)
7 tablespoons soy milk,or more or less, depends on your flour combination ratio
1 cup home made marmalade, if you use commercial one reduce the amount.


Combine the flour, baking powder, and egg replacer, and shift.
In a bowl, put the margarine and sugar, use stand mixer to mix until creamy, add 4 table spoons of soy milk, continue to whisk until airely.
Add flour mixture to the creamy mixture, mix until wet sand like texture. Add remaining soy milk 1table spoon at a time to form a dough that gathers into a ball.
Put dough in the plastic bag and chill for 1hour.

preheat oven 350F

Divide the dough in half. Take one of them, roll out on the lightly floured surface to fit your baking pan, and replace on the bottom of the pan. Take another dough and roll out, 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 wide to make long strips. Pour the marmalade over the first dough in the pan and spread evenly. Over the marmalade, use long strips to weave a basket pattern. Bake 30 minutes or cake cake tester come out clear.

for marmalade
This is the simplest way, because use whole orange.
I used 2 minneola orange, cut quarter lengthwise, and cut into thin slices. Soak in the water (double amount of sliced orange ) and let stand 3 hours, put on the heat and simmer 30 minutes, add sugar ( 50% of orange weight) and keep simmering until liquid reduced and become nice consistency.

tempeh, cashew, celery, & green pepper

serves 1-2

Heat the sesame oil in a wok/skillet over high heat and simply stir-fly tempeh and vegetables. Make sure put minced ginger first into a wok.

1/2 package of tempeh, sit in salt water (1/2teaspoon salt+1cup water) for 1hour,cut into 1/2inch square
2 celery, cut into 1/2inch square
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2inch square
1/3 cup cashew nuts, roasted
1/2inch peace of ginger, minced
salt, pepper to taste