Sichuan to save the world - Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu

Our planet is headed towards disaster, and one of the ways scientists recommend we can greatly help limit our chances of mass extinction is to eat.... no meat! Going burger-less may be hard to fathom for many, me included. And I do think there are other ways of reducing greenhouse gases that are easier to - er - swallow, such as cooking dishes that use the WHOLE animal. (I have always loved offal, and I love that I now have a moral imperative backing that love.) However, the alarming climate report has encouraged me to cook vegetarian more frequently. My favorite veg dish so far has been a recipe that Mark Bittman calls "Fast-Braised Tofu with Tempeh" in his masterpiece cookbook "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." Now, "Fast-Braised Tofu with Tempeh" doesn't really roll off the tongue, nor inspire any culinary yearnings. Ma Po Tofu though... well that is a name that should resonate with anyone who's ordered Chinese food. The soft melty tofu paired with the fiery, pork-filled sauce... YUM. But who knew replacing a fermented soybean product (tempeh) with the pork would yield similarly mouth-watering stuff? Well, it does. Spice up your meat-less weekdays with this recipe tonight. Get in some healthy stuff before the candy-binge of Halloween tomorrow. You're welcome. ;)

Vegetarian Ma Po Tofu

Adapted from Mark Bittman's fabulous "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian"

I give a wide range on the measurements for the chili below. Bittman calls for just a 1/4 tsp of chili flakes which is a tragically minimal amount of heat for any dish, let alone one that hails from the Chinese province of smoking-hot foods. Although to get to true Sichuan levels of spice I think you'd have to add at least 4 tbsp of sambal oolek (...which is actually of Indonesian origins - true Sichuan fans you'll have to forgive me here.)

I highly recommend the frozen ginger cubes from Trader Joe's - frozen in teaspoon size portions - it's amazing - go buy a tray or two and thank me later. 

Don't use firm tofu.

Serves 2 as a main dish

1/4 cup grapeseed or peanut oil
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled by hand into bits
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger (or frozen)
1-2 tbsp sambal oelek or 1/4-1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
green parts only of 1 bunch of scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup vegetable stock (I use "better than boullion" to make broth and stock - another tasty hack to save the planet)
1 lb soft or silken tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup tamari (or soy sauce if being gluten-free isn't an issue for you or your guests)
minced fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, fry the tempeh - stirring occasionally - until every piece is brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, put the tempeh on a paper-towel lined plate and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the garlic, ginger and your desired amount of sambal oelek or chili flakes and cook just until the garlic begins to sizzle, less than a minute. Add the scallions and stir, then add the stock, then add the tofu. Cook, stirring a few times, just until the tofu is heated through, then turn off the heat.

Stir in the tamari and the tempeh. Taste and add more sambal oelek or chili flakes if necessary. (Or serve more sambal oelek on the side.) Garnish with cilantro and serve with white rice.

Vegan and Gluten-free Blender Pumpkin Pie Muffins

I just got a wonderful email asking me for my advice about baking snacks for the preschool kids at my son's school. It is so gratifying to be called out for something you are so passionate about (thanks Emily!) I had planned to spend all morning paying bills and organizing but this opportunity to procrastinate by writing about baking was too good to pass up. And besides, I realized that, despite having been making these "muffins" regularly for the better part of the past year, I had yet to blog about it!

The advice I gave to Emily about baking for kids mostly revolved around sugar. Muffin recipes always have criminally high levels of sugar. The sugar industry does a terrifyingly good job at marketing to our children. Home-bakers are up against a tough foe when trying to compete with the sweetness of say, a PopTart, or Lucky Charms. (<<gag>>) So if you have a really picky eater, I can understand going with the given levels of sugar in a recipe but consider substituting (measure-for-measure) a sugar with a lower Glycemic Index. Coconut sugar (GI 35), maple syrup (GI 54), honey (GI 51) and agave (GI 15) are all better than regular sugar (GI 65) and much better than the dextrose sugar (GI 100) that is found in PopTarts. (A quick note that I would avoid using artificial sweeteners as there is evidence that they can increase your appetite, make you crave sweet foods more, and ultimately cause weight gain.)

Being a flour-less AND vegan muffin means these muffins are on the sweeter side. But if you can find anyone who has successfully baked a sweet treat made primarily of beans without using a significant amount of sugar, I'll eat my apron. And besides, with a picky eater who hardly ever eats protein, if I can get him to inhale half a can of beans then I'll take it. These muffins are so easy to whip up, and so easy to eat. Make a double batch if taking to a potluck or if you want to share with neighbors. They only make about 10 little muffins, and they'll be gone sooner than you can say "I bet you can't guess what they're made of!"

Lastly shout out and thank you to my longtime friend, Dr Kate, for sharing this recipe with me. Wish we could share these with a pot of tea.

My little helper, this past fall

By the time I went to take a picture they were all eaten except one! These bake well in pretty muffin/brownie molds like this.

The batter may not be pretty but they sure are tasty! As you can see, the food processor works better.

Blender Pumpkin Pie Muffins

very slightly adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

The recipe calls for honey but we prefer the version made with maple syrup. Use whichever you have to hand. Also, I have used red beans instead of white beans and they still tasted great! Lastly, having made them both ways, I'd recommend using a food processor instead of a blender unless you have an excellent blender.

1 15-oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder

If using a blender, blend the beans and pumpkin puree until thoroughly blended then blend in each ingredient long and well (the time will vary greatly depending on the quality of your blender.) If using a food processor, then dump everything into the food processor and process until very well blended, about three minutes, stopping halfway through to use a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides of the bowl. Spoon batter by 1/4 cupfuls into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 mins in a preheated 350 oven. The muffins will look underdone but they will firm up as they cool. Enjoy!

Triple Layer Banana Cake with Dark Chocolate Pudding Frosting

Triple layer cakes are usually joyous creations reserved for birthdays and anniversaries. They hardly ever appear on a random January weeknight... in a normal person's home that is. For me, baking has always been cathartic. So, yesterday, when the mercury never pushed above the 5 degree mark, and winter blues weighed heavy, I made a cake from my new favorite cake book - simply, aptly titled "Cake, I Love You." I do love cake. I also love the author of this cookbook, Jill O'Connor. I've made five cakes in her book and they are all fantastic. This one banana cake was no exception: delicate, moist, with a subtle banana flavor that was a perfect foil to the sticky-sweet chocolate pudding encasing each layer. A slice of this is guaranteed to ease almost any winter gloom.

I have felt my mom's absence keenly these weeks following the bustling of Christmas. As I take down ornaments, I think how many are hers, or from her. As I go skiing with the boys, I think of how she never got to ski with them. As I made this banana chocolate cake I thought of how banana bread was her favorite breakfast. She would have LOVED this cake. So to alleviate my winter sorrow, I slice into this cake baked with my boys with love, and think of my mom, and how much I wish she were still here.

Dark Chocolate Pudding Banana Cake
from "Cake, I Love You" by Jill O'Connor

I used Nestle chocolate chips but next time I would use the best quality chocolate I had for the pudding frosting. Also for the frosting, it's best to make it a day ahead so that it is at its most thick and spreadable. I only waited two hours and you can see in the picture that the filling is too thin between the layers. Another note on the pudding frosting: set aside a half hour when you are guaranteed to have no interruptions to make this. If you step away from the stove for even a second when making pudding you can easily ruin it. (I say this from experience!)

Another reason I love this book is that all measurements are given by both weight and volume. In case you didn't know, it is always better to use weighted measurements for baking as it is much more accurate, and it is so much easier because you can measure right into the mixing bowl set atop the scale!


For dark chocolate pudding frosting:
6 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp instant espresso powder
20 g (1/4 cup) Dutch-process cocoa powder
300 g (1 1/2 cups) sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) whole milk
230 g (8 oz) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, or good quality chocolate chips

For cake batter:
390 g (3 1/4 cups) cake flour or King Arthur's Gluten Free flour blend
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
4 eggs, at room temperature
550 g (2 3/4 cup) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) canola oil
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
460 g (2 cups) mashed over ripe bananas (trick: overripe bananas that have been frozen and then defrosted give the most banana punch!)

Make the chocolate pudding frosting first. In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cream and espresso powder. Set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the cocoa powder, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and cook, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, just until the mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly whisk the hot cocoa mixture into the egg yolks and cream that you previously set aside. Then transfer it all back into the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the pudding comes to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes only, just until the mixture is very thick. Do not simmer any longer than 2 minutes because the cornstarch will actually lose its thickening powers and the pudding will start to thin.

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the pudding through a large fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl that can fit in the refrigerator. Stir in the chopped chocolate and vanilla until the chocolate is completely melted and the pudding is smooth. Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until very firm and cold, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

To make the cake, first preheat the oven to 350 and butter three 8 or 9-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until thick and fluffy (3-4 minutes with a stand mixer, 5 minutes with a handheld.) Gradually beat in the oil on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined. Stir in the bananas and vanilla.

On low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients in three additions and the buttermilk in two additions, beginning and ending with dry and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Beat just until combined for each addition. Then divide the batter equally among the three pans (using a scale ensures that you get cake layers that are equal thickness.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Do NOT overbake! Transfer pans to wire racks and let cool for 10 minutes. Then invert cakes onto the racks and let cool completely before assembling with the pudding frosting (use 1/4 of the pudding frosting for each of the two filling layers, and 1/2 to frost the sides and top.) Serve and enjoy!