Archives for posts with tag: sesame seeds

Double Feature: Tahini Lime Cookies and Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins

July 22, 2010 //
2

It was a baking bonanza in my kitchen yesterday with me making not one, but two kinds of baked goods: Tahini Lime Cookies and Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins.

The cookies are adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. I’ve made a few different cookie recipes from their cookbook and haven’t had a bad one yet. The Tahini Lime Cookies reminded me of a shortbread cookie, but not as dense. They weren’t super sweet, which I liked, but they were surprisingly rich. However, the lime zest cut through the cookie’s richness and added a wonderful punch of flavor.

Tahini Lime Cookies

Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1/2c non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening

3/4c sugar

1/2c tahini, at room temperature

3 tablespoons of non-dairy milk

Grated zest from 3 limes (~ 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4c all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4c of black sesame seeds (I only had white sesame seeds on hand)

Preheat oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, beat together shortening and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the tahini, 2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk, lime zest, and vanilla.  Then mix in all of the dry ingredients. Mix in remaining flour. Dough should hold together at this point, but if not, add up to 2 additional tablespoons of the remaining non-dairy milk.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and flatten slightly. Place on cookie sheets and flatten a bit more. Sprinkle and lightly press sesame seeds into top.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned.

After I made the cookies, I decided that I might as well throw together some blueberry muffins for breakfast. I had already made a big mess in the kitchen from the cookies, so what’s a few more bowls?

This blueberry muffin recipe is adapted from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I’ve made it several times and it’s my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. The spelt flour adds a wonderful heartiness to the muffins without being too heavy or dense. And the ginger (I used freshly grated ginger) adds a nice spicy kick as you devour them.

Blueberry Ginger Spelt Muffins

Adapted from Vegan Brunch

Makes about a dozen muffins

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups soymilk (0r your favorite non-dairy milk)

1/2 cup vanilla soy yogurt

1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups spelt flour

Preheat the oven to 375 F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin (I used silicone muffin cups instead).

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and grated fresh ginger in a large bowl. Mix with a whisk or a fork to combine. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the blueberries

Scoop into muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes or so (check doneness by inserting a small knife or toothpick into the center of a muffin and seeing if it comes out clean). Try to let them cool a bit before eating. Try.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan

Nearly Raw Tahini Noodles

July 17, 2010 //
0

This is yet another awesome dish from Vegan Yum Yum. My wonderful friend and downstairs neighbor, Erin, made this for us for dinner a few weeks ago, and served it with bowl of homemade gazpacho. It was the perfect meal for a hot, summer evening.

Instead of posting the recipe here, I’m going to be lazy and just post the link to the recipe of Vegan Yum Yum. I’ve noticed that she (Lauren Ulm) hasn’t posted to her blog in a while, but don’t let that keep you from bookmarking it. There are tons of wonderful recipes, including some that aren’t in her cookbook.

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Categories food, vegan

Vegetable Fried Rice

June 18, 2010 //
2

I love Chinese takeout. I love the flavors, the chopsticks, the cute little boxes, and the overall convenience of it. But more often than not, I walk away feeling kind of gross and regretful after eating a plateful of vegetable lo mein and fried rice from our local Chinese restaurant. When I make my own Asian-inspired food at home, not only is it healthier, but I actually think it tastes better than takeout.

This recipe is loosely based on the one in the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook; I modified it quite a bit. It’s not authentic by any means, but it was a great way to use up some veggies that I had on-hand; hence the Brussels sprouts. There’s a lot of room for experimentation here. Also, you can use any kind of deep pan for this dish, but I finally broke down and purchased a wok. And let me tell you, it makes cooking this dish, and any other kind of stir-fry dishes, much easier.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Serves 6

Ingredients:


4 cups cooked brown rice

¼ cup toasted sesame oil

1 14oz package of extra firm tofu, drained, pressed, and cut into ¾-inch cubes

2 cups chopped broccoli

3/4 cup Brussels sprouts, cut in half length-wise

½ cup carrots, sliced

¾ cup button mushrooms, quartered

½ cup chopped red onion

½ cup low-sodium tamari, plus 2 tbsp

2 tbsp mirin

½ tsp ginger powder

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

Black pepper to taste

Sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

Cook the rice according to directions.

In a wok, add a tablespoon of the sesame oil to the pan and add your tofu. (Be careful, the moisture from the tofu will cause the oil to pop and splatter.) Fry your tofu until golden brown on all sides.

Mix the 2 tbsp of tamari and ½ tsp ginger powder and add the mixture to the tofu. Once the tamari mixture has been soaked up by the tofu, take the tofu out of the wok and set aside.

Add another splash of sesame oil to the pan and add the broccoli and Brussels sprouts to the wok. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook for a minute more, stirring constantly. Take out of the wok and set aside.

Add yet another small splash of sesame oil to the wok and add the red onion, carrots, and mushrooms to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes. Take out of the wok and set aside.

Add the last bit of sesame oil to the wok and add your cooked brown rice. Stir a few times, and then add the rest of the tamari and the mirin. Stir to coat the rice. Add the cooked tofu and veggies back to the wok and stir to incorporate. Add freshly cracked black pepper, top with sesame seeds, and serve.

I like to add a little Sriracha sauce on top for an extra kick.

Enjoy!

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Categories food, vegan
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