No Croutons Required - The Winner for October and the theme for November

Congratulations to Susan of Holly Grove Kitchen for winning the Noodle challenge for October. I can never resist mushrooms and I am excited to try this Mushroom and Noodle Soup.


I will be hosting the November edition of No Croutons Required. This month the challenge is to come up with a soup or salad featuring the mighty quinoa. Known to the ancient Incans as the "mother of all grains," quinoa is not really a cereal grass but is used just like a grain, with the important difference that is contains a food value that no grain can match. With an almost perfect balance of essential amino acids, quinoa is an unusually complete source of proteins in the plant kingdom, and is also a very good source of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins and vitamin E. And as simple and almost as quick to cook as white rice, the light and fluffy texture and delicately sweet and nutty flavour of cooked quinoa makes it a tasty and healthy alternative in a variety of grain recipes.

Chocolate chip coconut cookies

I once told you how much I love hopping from one link to another, then another, and another... I still do that a lot – old habits do die hard, I guess. :D

I needed to finish up a bag of shredded coconut – impulsive purchasing, anyone? – and my much beloved Food Blog Search got me here, then Memoria got me here... And Sheena’s recipe ended up in my oven.

These cookies are delicious and were

Quinoa Pudding

Warm and fragrant steam rising from a gently simmering saucepan of quinoa pudding is really almost as enticing an experience on a cool autumn day as savouring its delicate texture and slightly sweet and nutty flavour in the bowl. Resembling small opaque tapioca pearls swimming in cream, quinoa pudding is just as pretty and easy to prepare as tapioca. And with quinoa's almost perfect amino acid profile as well as bountiful calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, B vitamins and vitamin E, it's also versatile and wholesome enough to serve as a delicious and nourishing breakfast porridge.

Quinoa Pudding

1 cup dried quinoa
1 3/4 cup whole fat milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt

Rinse and scrub the quinoa under cold running water. Place in a bowl, cover with fresh cold water, and leave to soak overnight. Drain and set aside.

Combine the milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla and sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the quinoa. Simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent skimming, until the quinoa is soft and the pudding thickened.

Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and scatter with fresh berries, chopped pistachios, or the toppings of your choice. Serve warm.

Other recipes you may enjoy:
Breakfast Quinoa Porridge
Arborio Rice Pudding
Rum Plum Clafouti

On the top of the reading stack: Some Points in Between... Up Till Now Images of Robert Polidori

Audio Accompaniment: wind and rustling leaves

Vanilla cheesecake with blueberry lemon sauce

I told you I had an addiction – if you did not believe me then, you might start believing me now. :D

There is one thing different, however: this time I went for blueberries instead of blackberries, as in Natalie’s recipe. Just don’t ask me which one I like more – you know I have trouble picking favorites. :D

Vanilla cheesecake with blueberry lemon sauce
from Donna Hay magazine and here

Base:

Honey and gingerbread cakes

A couple of days ago I was talking here about how the holiday season brings me down - I saw panettones at the supermarket and realized that Christmas is just around the corner. On the other hand, I love holiday food – I’ve been planning a special series of holiday posts, like the one I did last year, but luckily with more recipes this time.

It’s too soon to start the holiday series around

Black and Yellow Chickpeas with a Coconut Chili Sauce

My trusted volume of 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer has many post-it notes sticking out from the pages. Excuse me for once again raving about this fabulous book that includes lots of inspired ideas for spice blends, appetizers, paneer dishes, legumes, vegetables, grains and fusion style Indian curries. The introductions to his recipes are informative and highly entertaining. This cookbook is highly recommended from Lisa's Kitchen and it makes a great gift too for cooks that enjoy creative and heart-warming, but often easy to prepare, Indian dishes. Coconut and chilies go so well with the chickpeas and spices in this dish. While the black chickpeas add a nice texture, wholesome regular yellow chickpeas could be substituted instead.

Black and Yellow Chickpeas with a Coconut Chili Sauce

2/3 cup of dried black chickpeas
1/3 cup of dried yellow chickpeas
6 green cardamon pods
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks (roughly 2 - 3 inches long)
4 tablespoons of ghee or a mixture of butter and oil
2/3 cup of dried coconut
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
4 - 6 green chilies, chopped
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
a generous handful of dried curry leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt

Rinse and soak the chickpeas in enough water to cover overnight. Drain, transfer to a large pot and add 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, add the cardamon pods, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, cover and reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the chickpeas are tender - roughly 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

While the chickpeas are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a frying pan. When hot, add the coriander seeds, coconut and chilies to the pan. Stir and fry until the coconut begins to brown. Transfer to a blender, along with 2/3 cup of water and blend into a paste. Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the same frying pan over medium high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and fry until they turn grey and begin to splutter and pop. Add the curry leaves to the pan, stir and remove from the heat.

When the chickpeas are finished cooking, add the coconut paste, mustard and curry leaves and sea salt to the pot. Simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cardamon pods before serving.

Serves 4.

More chickpea recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Chickpeas, Kidney Beans and Lentils with a Spicy Tomato Sauce
Chickpeas and Paneer in a Spicy Creamy Gravy
Chickpeas with Coconut Sauce
Spicy Chickpeas with a Tangy Tomato Glaze

On the top of the reading stack: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Audio Accompaniment: Under the Wood by SYSYPHE (this track pleasantly drowns out the doozers who are yet still making a terrible racket on our street.)

Butterscotch pots

You almost got another panna cotta here today. :)

I think of panna cotta every time I need to use up heavy cream before it goes bad – what changed my mind this time, you might ask? The poor lonely egg yolks left from the buttercream on my MIL’s birthday cake. :D

These pots are delicious but also very, very rich – small cups are the way to go here.

Butterscotch pots
from Sticky, Chewy, Messy,

Nibby whole wheat sablés

I’ve been having lots of fun with this beautiful book lately – Anh, Ana Elisa and I will probably start a fan club for Alice Medrich any day now. :D

Besides being a terrific baker, Ms. Medrich has a great sense of humor: it’s written on her recipe that these (delicious) cookies can be stored for 1 month – like they are going to last that long. :D



Nibby whole wheat sablés
from Pure Dessert

Think Food and a Giveaway

I am excited to announced that one of my recipes was recently published in a new cookbook entitled Think Food, published by Posit Science. My Goat Cheese Toasts with Arugula, complete with Extra-virgin olive oil, is sure to nourish and please your tummy. This lovely book features recipes from 50 bloggers. Each recipe is accompanied by a professional photo, along with information about the cook who contributed their creation. I am especially delighted to offer my readers an opportunity to receive a copy of this book, at my expense. I will ship anywhere in the world. All you need to do is leave a comment, and I will do a random draw to determine the winner. Comment by November 6th for a chance to receive a copy of this most inspiring book. Do note that this book is not vegetarian, though there are some wonderful options for vegetarians and vegans included.

Wheat and chocolate pound cake

Doesn’t this cake look good? It tasted great, too, I can assure you. :) But the funny thing about this recipe is that preparing it made me think of my grandma – and no, she doesn’t like chocolate. It’s just that I was not in the mood for extra washing up and decided to grate the chocolate with a box grater, instead of grabbing the food processor. What a bad decision it was: it took me FOREVER

Lemon frangipane tart

There’ someone you all know that is so obsessed with lemons that when she’s not making lemon cookies or lemon cakes there’s a lemon tart coming out of her oven. :D

Maybe because I am crazy for lemons I did not think this tart was lemony enough, but a friend of mine loved it and felt the lemon flavor even though I did not tell her there was any in the dessert. Now it’s up to you: if you’re

Tartine’s brownies

I made these for my official brownie tester and asked her opinion about them: she said they were really, really, good and eating them was like “biting into foam”. Then I asked if these were better than her favorite brownies – she said she couldn’t decide, because they were both delicious, despite being different in texture.

I guess that lack of decision making mojo runs in the family – I can’

Sautéed Spinach and Cannellini Beans with Balsamic Vinegar

"Mid-week meals" are those fast and simple recipes we all need to cope with weekday hustle and bustle with a minimum of bother but without sacrificing taste and nutrition. And at 15 minutes from scratch if the beans are cooked ahead of time, they don't come much faster or simpler than this one. Sautéed spinach and tender cooked beans sautéed in balsamic vinegar and spices are a delicious way to top off cooked noodles, pasta, rice or polenta for a filling, zesty and wholesome dinner.

Asafoetida powder can be found in any Indian grocer. If you don't have any on hand, substitute a couple of cloves of minced garlic added to the pan before the dried red chili flakes.

Sautéed Spinach and Cannellini Beans with Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 cup dried cannellini (white kidney) beans
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 lb. fresh spinach leaves, trimmed
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the beans and soak overnight covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain and add to a medium saucepan. Cover with the vegetable stock and and a cup of water, and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. Drain and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid for cooking noodles if desired.

Heat a large skillet or wok over just less than medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the pan. Toss in the chili flakes, stir once, then sprinkle in the asafoetida. Quickly add the spinach and sauté until the leaves are just wilted, 3 or 4 minutes.

Turn down the heat slightly, and stir in the beans and balsamic vinegar. Warm throughout for a few minutes longer, then add the salt and plenty of fresh ground black pepper.

Serve hot over noodles, pasta, rice or polenta. Serves 2 to 4.

More Cannellini Bean recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you will be sure to enjoy:
Cannellini Bean and Grape Tomato Salad with Lemon Dressing and Rosemary-Garlic Infused Olive Oil
Cannellini Bean Soup with Fontina Gremolata
Creamy Cannellini Bean Soup with Jalapeño Gremolata
Cannellini Bean Sauce and Herbed Tomato Sauce over Carrot Rice

On the top of the reading stack: 1,000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra

Audio Accompaniment: Nova

Banana walnut cake (with quinoa flour)

As I previously told you, I’ve been having fun baking with different kinds of flour – and there’s a lot to come, I guarantee. :D

As for this cake, it is really good – my sister loved it – but hasn’t dethroned my favorite banana cake. I found the walnuts a bit bitter after being toasted twice – I’m using sliced almonds next time I make this recipe.

Banana walnut cake
from Good to the Grain

2

Jam swirled muffins

There’s something you need to know: I’m addicted to the blackberry lemon jam used in this ice cream recipe – I’ve eaten it with crackers, poured over panna cotta... I just can’t get enough of it.

I thought the jam would go wonderfully mixed in muffin batter – I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but I was right. :D

Jam swirled muffins
adapted from Dorie's lemon poppy seed muffins

2/3 cup (133g

Chocolate-chunk oatmeal cookies with pecans and cranberries

Just so you know it, these cookies – from Tara’s gorgeous blog – are delicious. And if you do not believe me, here’s the dialogue I had with one of my friends from work (the ones I shared the cookies with):

- You know, L., oats are really good for you, good for your heart.
- Well, those cookies were so delicious I would have eaten them even if they were bad for me.

I rest my case. ;)

Mini lasagna + great people

I might be a little disappointed with Twitter, but on the other hand I’m surrounded by wonderful people – and that feels great.

Not many of you know, but I work as an executive assistant and September, 30 is considered our day; the beautiful cocottes you see on the photo were a gift from one of my bosses – the one who also gave me the blowtorch for Christmas; needless to say, I was completely

Yogurt panna cotta with caramelized tangerine slices

A while ago I told you how much I was enjoying Twitter, but something changed some days ago – I haven’t felt that way anymore. It is probably my fault – I should follow other people, people I might have more in common with. :S

I think I need something sweet – I’ll go have another panna cotta. :D



Yogurt panna cotta with caramelized tangerine slices
from here and from Australian Gourmet

Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Chat Masala

Hot, sour and salty, chat masala is a popular northern Indian spice blend that forms a delightful combination with cool or tangy foods like fresh cucumbers or tomatoes. Naturally, it is perfect addition to legume based salads like this Indian-style chickpea salad loaded with both tomatoes and cucumbers, with a little corn and fresh hot chilies for good measure. A colourful, healthy and delicious light lunch or dinner on a hot day or cold day.

Good chat masala blends are easily available from any Indian grocer, but if you want to make your own, I have a quick and easy recipe here.

This is my submission to My Legume Love Affair, a most popular monthly event started by dear Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by Divya.

Chickpea and Tomato Salad with Chat Masala

1 cup dried chickpeas
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small cucumber, diced
1 cup fresh or defrosted frozen corn
3 green chilies, seeded and minced
small handful fresh coriander leaves
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons chat masala
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water and soak overnight in a bowl covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added.

Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas and add to a medium saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are soft and buttery. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

Place the chickpeas in a large mixing bowl and add the tomatoes, cucumber, corn, chilies and coriander. Pour in the lemon juice and sprinkle in the chat masala, salt and fresh ground black pepper. Toss gently to mix.

Serve warm or cold. Serves 4 to 6.

Other Indian salads you may enjoy:
Three Bean Salad with Fennel
Indian-Style Tomato Salad
Indian-Style Beet Salad with a Yogurt Dressing

On the top of the reading stack: Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland

Audio Accompaniment: Tierbeobachtungen by Jan Jelinek

Ana's chocolate cupcakes

Besides the piña colada cake, I made these cupcakes for my MIL’s birthday – chocolate is THE universal favorite flavor and I thought that they would look pretty on the table. :D

The recipe comes from my dear friend Ana Elisa and you won’t believe how easy and quick it is.

Speaking of Ana – the newest and loveliest mom-to-be in the food blog community – she’s getting a little bit older today.

Passion fruit cream profiteroles

I’ve been feeling very brave these past few days: I managed to watch “Damien: Omen II” entirely, without looking away not even for a second, AT NIGHT. :)

Now I’m ready to watch the last part and complete the trilogy – but this lovely lady and I have come to the conclusion that I’m going to need something to stay calm throughout the movie, like passion fruit juice. I wonder if passion fruit