Dark and white chocolate cookies

No, these are not the traditional black & white cookies – but it was impossible for me not to think of Seinfeld after baking them.

Peace! :)

Dark and white chocolate cookies
from the always gorgeous Donna Hay Magazine

¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, chopped
100g dark chocolate, chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
½ cup (88g) brown sugar, packed
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose

A Celebration of Indian Food and a Giveaway

My dear friend Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes will be hosting the next two months of No Croutons Required. I will be the host for January, but for November I am going to invite readers to submit their favorite Indian dish. This one time event, unrelated to NCR, comes with a prize too. I will choose a random winner and will ship a copy of 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer at my own expense to anywhere in the world. I often rave about this recipe book because the offerings are easy to prepare and adapt to your preferences, diverse and just plain delicious. Though not strictly vegetarian, there are loads of vegetarian dishes that will keep you going. Inspired Indian cooks will not want to be without this extensive collection of recipes for legumes, grains, spice blends, appetizers and vegetables. Informative, charming and entertaining, you won't be lacking for ideas if you consult Mr. Iyer's cookbook.

And now for submission guidelines: Submit your most cherished Indian creation from any region of India. It can be an appetizer or sweet snack, spice blend, chutney or sauce, legume dish, soup, salad, grain dish, vegetable dish, bread, dessert or snack, beverage or an Indian-style fusion dish. Please note that I will only accept one entry from participants and the recipe must be vegetarian. Your post must include a photo that I will include in the roundup. A link to this post is also required. I look forward to your creations.

The deadline for entries is November 30th. Please send your recipe to herdcreature(at)hotmail(dot)com.

Congratulations to the winner of No Croutons Required October's squash challenge. So many creative and nourishing dishes and the choice was as usual difficult, but we have a winner. Congratulations to Janet of The Taste Space who submitted this gorgeous Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Lentil Stew. Good job Janet and Rob and I was most excited to read that Janet is acquiring more legumes as she wants to cook more from 660 Curries.

The theme for November's No Croutons Required will be hosted by Jacqueline and Dom of Belleau Kitchen. They are teaming up this month and the challenge is to select a random soup recipe from one of your cookbooks. Please only submit vegetarian friendly recipes. You can submit your recipe to Jacqueline or Dom or both.

Lavish cinnamon brunch cake

Now that the fear of emptying the pantry with crumb cake recipes is long gone I can gladly present you this cake: delicious, full of cinnamon flavor – and I do love cinnamon, you know that – and super tender, to the point of being difficult to slice. The streusel is tasty, crunchy and smells so good you’ll be glad that there’s a very generous layer of it.

Bake the cake today and thank me

Quick and Easy Brownies with Xylitol

I was recently treated to complimentary bags of Xylitol and Erythritol. These natural sweeteners, which are safe for diabetics and reportedly good for dental health, are produced from corn cobs or the bark of hardwood trees such as birch. Xylitol actively promotes their products in the US and Canada. They only use North American hardwood for their natural sugarless sweetener. Apart from the "sugar", this company offers an array of delightful products, including candy, chocolate, jam, syrup, ketchup, honey and some delightful mints that are rather addictive and most refreshing. This company also offers generous discounts.

As I prefer natural products, I was most excited to learn about Xylitol. I decided to try it with some brownies that are based on my recipe for Quick and Easy Fudgy Brownies. My husband and my best friend Basil wanted a treat and so I tried out the sweetener. It is as good as refined sugar and I would say even better. Chewy and moist — a perfect late night snack and you don't even have to feel guilty about indulging in a few.

More expensive, but worth the price. There are a few tips to follow when baking with this sweetener. It can be substituted for any recipe calling for sugar, though it does not work well with yeast meaning your bread won't rise as you wish. As for baking, like these brownies, you may need to add a bit more liquid or butter to maintain moisture because Xylitol does not caramelize when baking.

Verdict: just perfect and even more enjoyable than the original recipe I based it on.

Quick and Easy Brownies with Xylitol

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Quick and Easy Fudgy Brownies Published on October 30, 2011 These quick and easy-to-make brownies are moist, chewy, fudgy and sweetened with all-natural Xylitol for a guilt-free treat Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup Xylitol 1/2 cup cocoa 6 tablespoons plain or Greek yogurt 1 egg, beaten 1 teaspoon natural vanilla 1/2 cup unbleached white flour confectioners sugar for dusting (optional) Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan or line with parchment paper. In a medium sized bowl, combine the Xylitol, cocoa and yogurt. Add the beaten egg and vanilla and mix well. Stir in the flour and then transfer the batter to the buttered pan. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies

More brownie recipes you are sure to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Cocoa Brownies with Peanut Butter Chocolate Icing
Gooey Peanut Butter Brownies with Carob Chips
Chocolate Cocoa Brownies with Dried Cranberries and Chickpea Flour

On the top of the reading stack: cookbooks

Audio Accompaniment: Arvo Part

Staple Corner: How to Make Your Own Goda Masala

As I have noted before, fresh homemade spice blends are always superior to store bought blends. For example, I whipped up a batch of goda masala for a Tangy Red Lentil dish (that will be coming soon) and was struck by the heavenly fragrance. The goda masala spice blend is a specialty of Maharashtrian cooking, adding a hot, earthy and dry seasoning to foods of the region, like dals, rice dishes, vegetable curries and khichadis. A pinch of goda masala would be an excellent choice for homemade flatbreads. The recipe for the blend comes from Sukham Ayu: Cooking at Home With Ayurvedic Insights by Jigyasa Giri and Pratibha Jain, who included it as a tribute to the hills of Maharashtra. A big thanks again to these ladies for sending me a copy of their book.

I should repeat that this elegant book will tantalize your taste buds and introduce you to vegetarian Ayurvedic cooking principles. So many easy to prepare appetizer sweets, soups, vegetables, pulses, breads, rice, snacks and chutney, salads and beverages. Keep the goda masala blend in a well-sealed glass container for three to six months and spice up your dishes. A ready well-stocked and tidy kitchen makes for an excellent cook. Concentrate on your food and put positive energy into what you are making for nourishment.

Homemade Goda Masala

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Sukham Ayu: Cooking at Home With Ayurvedic Insights Cuisine: Indian Published on October 28, 2011 A pungent and hot spice blend from Maharashtra that adds a unique earthy and dry seasoning to curries — try substituting for garam masala asa finish occasionally Print this recipe Ingredients: 1/4 cup sesame seeds 1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut 1 tablespoon ghee or sesame oil 1 tablespoon whole cloves 4 1-inch pieces of cinnamon stick 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds generous handful of dried curry leaves 2 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds pinch of kalonji (nigella) seeds (optional) 2 cups coriander seeds 20 - 30 dried whole red chilies 1 tablespoon asafoetida 1/2 teaspoon turmeric Instructions: Dry roast the sesame seeds and coconut over low heat in a heavy bottomed frying pan, stirring often. When slightly browned, remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, heat the ghee or oil over medium heat and add the cloves, cinnamon sticks, curry leaves, cumin seeds, kalonji seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Stir and fry for a few minutes and then add the coriander seeds and dried chilies. Continue to stir and fry until the coriander seeds darken a few shades. Toss in the asafoetida powder and turmeric and roast for another few minutes, taking care to stir often. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and grind into a fine powder. Makes 1 1/2 cups

Other Spice Powders from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen you may enjoy:
Garam Masala
Chat Masala
Sambar Masala
Chana Masala Powder

On the top of the reading stack: The Trial of Gilles de Rais by Georges Bataille

Audio Accompaniment: Creation Rebel: Trojan Remixed - DJ Spooky

Chicken pad thai with lime and peanuts

I pulled an Oliver Stone the other day while making lunch: much like he completely ruined "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" in the end I almost did the same to my pad thai by adding chilli to it – it was hot as hell and sort of difficult to eat. But we managed. So I’m keeping the chilli out of the recipe below, for your own safety. ;)

I just hope that using udon instead of rice noodles is not

Huevos Rancheros Con Frijoles

A dear friend who moved up here from Arizona a couple of years ago has returned there this fall. I'll miss her very much, but she left me with a renewed appreciation for southwestern cooking and the inspiration for my own version of huevos rancheros con frijoles — a Mexican breakfast classic that translates as "ranch eggs with beans". I much prefer the Mexican name. Consisting of hot fried corn tortillas loaded with cheese, beans, salsa and topped with eggs, "rancheros" are hearty, zesty and delicious, and will warm you up and fill you up on a cool fall morning. You'll want them again and again.

The eggs can be prepared in any style or in any number as you prefer (the rancheros are so filling, I have just one egg per tortilla). But I recommend cooking the eggs sunny side up or over easy for a soft center — the warm yolk running down through the salsa and beans is a delicious gooey treat! I also recommend making your own fresh uncooked salsa for an especially vibrant taste — you can try Basic Fresh Salsa or my Simple Salsa for ideas.

I used dried pinto beans in this recipe, but a 19-oz. can be substituted for faster results, though I find that if you take a few minutes to soak your beans the night before and boil them while you are preparing the rest of the steps for your dish, you won't really find that you save much time opening a can of beans instead of boiling up a batch. My palate prefers split and whole beans in their dried form because I find the canned varieties rather oily. I want control over how my legumes are cooked and I can only do that if I cook them myself. Certainly the dried variety is more economical too.

This is my submission to My Legume Love Affair, a popular monthly event started by lovely Susan of the The Well Seasoned Cook. Every month a generous and gorgeous array of recipes is featured consisting of one of the most nourishing foods that is especially suitable for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. The host for the October edition is Suma of Veggie Platter.

Please also consider voting for my Curried-Laced Pumpkin and Potato Soup that I submitted to Favediets October Blog Hop. Voting closes on the 27th of this month. All you need to do is visit the site and "like" my recipe.

I am also submitting this to Savannah's Under the Big Top Friday Event.

Huevos Rancheros Con Frijoles Refritos

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Mexican Published on October 25, 2011 A Mexican breakfast classic! Melted cheese sandwiched between soft fried corn tortillas and topped with homemade refried beans, fresh salsa and runny eggs! Print this recipe Frijoles: 2/3 cup dried pinto beans 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced 3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste 1/4 cup water *Note: black beans or red kidney beans can be substituted for pinto beans Rancheros: 1 tablespoon olive oil 8 7-inch corn tortillas 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese 4 or 8 large eggs, to preference 2 cups fresh salsa Instructions: Rinse the pinto beans under cold running water 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 fresh cold 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 gently mash with a fork or potato masher. Set aside. To make the frijoles, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, wait a few seconds, then swirl to coat the pan. Toss in the garlic and jalapeños and stir for a minute or until the garlic is browned. Stir in the beans, corn, salt and chili powder and add a 1/4 cup of water. Heat for a few minutes until the beans and corn are warmed throughout, then reduce the temperature to medium-low. Keep warm, stirring occasionally, adding extra water if necessary to keep the beans moist. To make the rancheros, preheat an oven to 150° and warm an oven-safe plate. Heat a small non-stick or cast iron frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush with a little olive oil and add a corn tortilla. Heat the tortilla for a minute or two on each side until the tortilla is soft and golden brown. Remove the tortilla and set aside. Add another tortilla to the pan and cook the first side. After flipping the second tortilla, scatter 1/4 of the shredded cheese over top and cover with the first tortilla. Cook for a minute, then remove to the oven. Repeat the process for every pair of tortillas, brushing the pan occasionally with more olive oil. Keeping the tortillas warm in the oven, return the frying pan to the stove and use to fry the eggs according to taste and consistency. To serve the huevos rancheros con frijoles, place the cheese-filled tortilla pairs on four serving plates. Spread a quarter of the frijole mixture over each tortilla pair, then top with a layer of salsa and one or two eggs according to preference. Garnish with a sprinkle of chili powder and serve hot. Makes 4 servings

Other Mexican-style breakfast ideas you may enjoy:
Black and Green Bean Corn Hash
Jalapeño Breakfast Burritos
Chili Tortilla Scramble
Nigella's Mexican Scrambled Eggs
Vegetarian Stove-Top Calabacitas

On the top of the reading stack: The Indian Grocery Store Demystified by Linda Bladholm

Audio Accompaniment: Fennesz