Ode to Sriracha

Oh, Sriracha, what would I do without you beside my stovetop to flavor just about every meal? It is a key component of the hippie triumvirate that holds sway over all of my cooking. I may try to make a dish without them, but they usually end up sneaking their way in one way or another. The trifecta? Nutritional yeast, Bragg’s, and Sriracha. Nutritional yeast brings the savory, Bragg’s brings the salty, and Sriracha, the heat - a tangy, friendly warmth that makes itself at home just about anywhere. And, it turns out Sriracha has a lovely story behind it, as I learned in this NYT article.

Sriracha’s been a staple for a long time. When I lived in the co-op, my 14 housemates could go through a bottle of Sriracha at an astounding rate. And during last year’s campaign, the bottle of Sriracha at the office helped us get through many a late night, livening up snacks like popcorn, pretzels, and even tuna salad. I love it in pho, stir fries, miso, scrambles, and Michele’s spicy Sriracha mayo. Yum! The only thing I always wonder – should you keep it in the fridge or not...?

Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Made a delicious crisp from the gluten-free blog Karina's Kitchen today. I had a nice fresh bunch of rhubarb from the farmer's market, and I loved the idea of adding balsamic vinegar to the classic combination of strawberries and rhubarb. I went for the 2 TBSP and I definitely recommend going for it! I added about a half teaspoon of dried rosemary to the fruit, which made for an interesting twist that was quite tasty, and I put some oats in the topping. I skipped the arrowroot and my fruit turned out watery, so be sure to keep it in there (or cornstarch or tapioca...). Balsamic is a great inspiration for this springtime treat - give it a try!

It's a VeggieThing...

Citysearch launched a new lookbook site today called VeggieThing, and it looks amazing! You can submit photos of your favorite vegan dishes from your favorite restaurants, and browse for other delicious finds. I know which favorite dish I'm going to submit to put Denver on the map! And here's hoping they launch a gluten free site soon, too.

Swiss Chocolate Cake

Here’s our little sous chef helping out with his mama’s birthday cake. It’s a family classic from Rugby that makes frequent birthday appearances.

Swiss Chocolate Cake

6 oz chocolate chips
1/4 cup water
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, margarine or oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs or egg replacer
1 cup milk of choice +1 T apple cider vinegar, or 1 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt chocolate chips and water over low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat. Add vinegar to milk and set aside if not using buttermilk. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together. Cream the butter, beat in sugar and then eggs one at a time (or egg replacer). Add melted chocolate. Gradually add flour and soured milk in alternating increments.

Pour batter into greased and floured pans – either 2 9” round pans, one 9”x13” pan, or 6 mini bundts. If you use the mini bundts, you’ll have a little extra batter left for a mini loaf pan or a few cupcakes – you don’t want to fill the mini bundts all the way up to the top to leave room for them to expand as they bake. Greasing and flouring the pans is key to getting the cakes out after baking. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. At elevation, bump the temperature up to 360° and check after 20 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and invert the cake out onto a cooling rack if you want to frost the whole cake. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

A few notes before we move on to frosting options. The chocolate in this cake is all from the chocolate chips - there is no cocoa powder in here. So, the quality of the chocolate chips that you use is directly proportional to the deliciousness of the cake – definitely splurge on your favorite chips for this recipe. Any kind of milk can be used in this recipe, but soy or hemp will add more richness than rice or nut milk.

When it comes to egg substitutes for baking, there are lots of options that each bring their own qualities:

You can buy a powdered egg replacer that I feel is the most taste-neutral option. It is a good stand-in for the leavening action of eggs, but lacks the substance of eggs. Sometimes the lightness is perfect, and sometimes it can leave your baking feeling a bit anemic. It’s handy to have a box around for emergencies or when you're feeling lazy. All you have to do is add water.

Ground flax seeds in water magically transform into a very egg-like goop. The secret here is to grind your own flax into as fine a powder as possible – using pre-ground flax from the store will leave your final product with chunky little flecks of flax seed throughout. A coffee grinder works best to get that fine grind. Make sure the coffee grinder is clean if you don’t want to add coffee flavor to your baking. I have a dedicated grinder just for things like flax and spices to keep them coffee-free. Flax has a nutty flavor that compliments and blends well into many baked goods – but might not be what you want in light-flavored items. Golden flax seed has a milder flavor than brown flax. Flax is fairly volatile - don't grind your flax until you need it, and store flax seeds in the fridge. I add 2 TBSP ground flax seed to 3 TBSP water to replace one egg. Let set for a minute or so before adding to the mix.

Applesauce is another good egg alternative. It adds softness and moistness to baked goods, which is especially great for things like quick breads and bars. The quality of the applesauce makes a big difference – conventional applesauce can be really watery and runny, leaving you disappointed in the outcome. Look for a thick, smooth applesauce for the best results. You can knock down the sweetener in your recipe a little bit to account for the sweetness of the applesauce if you like. Applesauce can be used to replace some of the fat in your recipe as well. 1/4 cup applesauce equals 1 egg.

1/4 cup mashed banana also can be used as an egg replacer. This is a great way to put overripe bananas to use, but you will definitely taste the banana coming through, so make sure that is a twist you would like to add to your recipe.

Silken tofu (the kind in a tetra-brick) lends a creamy denseness that is great for gooey brownies and rich, heavy cakes. It also bakes nicely into pumpkin pie and quiches. Drain out any extra water, and whir it up smooth in the blender to avoid having little white chunks of tofu show through the finished product. I like to use firm or extra firm. 1/4 cup replaces 1 egg.

On to frosting and decorating options:

For an extra rich cake, and another great way to use silken tofu, frost the cake in chocolate mousse:

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

1 aseptic box firm silken tofu (like Mori Nu), drained
1 c chocolate chips

Melt the chocolate chips slowly over low heat, stirring frequently. Add to tofu in a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. This is another place where the chocolate shines, so pick your favorite chips here, too. You can add a couple drops of vanilla or mint extract for different variations. If you are using this to layer and frost 2 round cakes, make 1 1/2 recipe. This mousse is also great on its own served well-chilled with fresh berries.

For a light and fluffy cake, the original family recipe calls for whipped cream frosting:

Whipped Cream Frosting

1/2 c chocolate chips
2 TBSP honey or agave
1 TBSP water
1 3/4 c whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt

Slowly melt chocolate chips, honey/agave, and water over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool. Beat whipping cream and salt until firm peaks form. Gently fold in chocolate.

If you are frosting 2 round cakes, put a layer of frosting in between the two cakes, and, as an option, a layer of raspberry jam, too. If you’re making mini bundts, you can fill the center of the bundts with jam before frosting them if you like. Decorate with chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, fresh raspberries, you name it. Keep the cake refrigerated to preserve your frosting. Serve with vanilla ice cream or coconut sorbet.

Freezers and the Farms Race

I stumbled upon a couple good articles today. One is a heartening article about how Michelle Obama’s White House vegetable garden has inspired other governmental gardens to sprout up all over the country and even the world. I myself, in an unabashedly optimistic move, put my first tomato plant in the ground yesterday. I’m hopeful, but not convinced, that the snows are finally over, so we’ll see what happens. The poor tomato was getting so gangly as it languished its days away in a sunny window that it couldn’t wait any longer – and neither could I, I’ve been so antsy to get out and start playing in the dirt!

The other article, by NYT food columnist Mark Bittman, someone who ‘got it’ long before most of the rest of us, is about freezing food, a particularly fond topic of mine as of late. When I bought my place, one of the first (and one of the only) real purchases I made for my new home was a freezer. I had always admired the wonder of my grandma’s deep freezers, with their stashes of delectables and stores of staples, and now I love having my own. Besides giving me a way to put up harvest fruits and vegetables that isn’t as scary as canning (my fear of which is just as irrational as my fear of pressure cookers, I know…), here are some of my freezer favorites:

IQF beans – After I learned that cans are lined with BPA, I decided to start making my own beans. I like to make big batches in the slow cooker, and then drain and spread them in a single layer on cookie sheets and freeze them. After they’ve frozen, I put them into a sealed container. This way they don’t stick to each other, and when you’re ready to use them, you can scoop out just the amount that you need.

Pesto – like Bittman mentions, pesto freezes really well. A layer of olive oil over the top prevents discoloration and preserves the pesto perfectly, so that you can enjoy a taste of summer all winter long.

Tomato sauce – Pictured here are some of the Black Romas that found their way into our freezer last summer. For me, canned tomato sauce never tastes as good as frozen. I am trying to get away from using plastic, but one easy way to store sauces that we learned from our parents is to put the sauce in a zippered freezer bag, squeeze out all the air, and lay flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once they’re frozen, the bags stack sideways in the freezer like books on a shelf.

Stock up on sale – Having a deep freezer means you can stock up and save when your favorites are on sale. Things most likely to be found in large quantities in our freezer include frozen veggies, Amy’s gluten-free frozen pizza, and tempeh, which freezes nicely (and thaws quickly).

Compost – In the summertime, composting scraps can quickly become overwhelmingly ripe in the collection container on your counter. Instead, put them in the freezer to keep them neat and odor-free until you’re ready to make a trip out to the compost pile, or your weekly collection comes around.

I mentioned I’m trying to move away from using plastic, and I found some great glass storage containers that lock tight and do a good job keeping freezer burn at bay.

There are lots of other tips in the article and comments that I’m looking forward to trying, especially citrus zest and leftover wine! What are your freezer favorites?

Epicurious for iPhone

Looks like Condé Nast is trying to keep up with the Food Network's food.com launch by coming out with a free Epicurious app for your iPhone. You can search their delicious database, and hit view recipie and turn your phone on its side to view the recipe step by step while you're in action in the kitchen - eliminating the need to try to figure out how to keep your cookbook open or find room for your laptop amidst the dangerous spill-zone of the counter. iPhone foodies, let us know what you think after taking it for a spin!