It was supposed to be a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving dinner. My first cheesecake for A, who's never had one because they are usually made with eggs. Inspired by the fatfreevegan recipe.
We canceled the dinner due to an emergency. I went to hunt for canned pumpkin on Black Friday and found nothing. Nada. All the grocery stores in town had run out of canned pumpkin.
Enter, the sweet potato. The savior of our weekend.
2 cups graham cracker crumbs ( I will use 1.5 cups next time- the crust was a bit too thick )
4 tbsp butter/margarine, melted
1/4 tsp nutmeg, powdered
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
- Mix together all ingredients and press down in a springform pan/ cake tin. I used a pie dish. Bake in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Cool.
Ingredients for filling:
8 oz cream cheese (Use tofutti for a a vegan version)
1 block (12 oz) firm silken tofu
1 cup sweet potato, roasted, peeled, mashed ( or 1 cup pumpkin puree)
1/2 cup agave nectar/honey/maple syrup
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp vanilla
- Blend all ingredients really well in a food processor/blender. Pour into the crust and spread out evenly with a spatula. Bake in the 350 degree oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle does not come out wet. Remove and cool on a wire rack for an hour. Add topping if desired. Chill in the fridge for at least three hours before slicing.
Topping: optional.
1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
A handful of toasted, slivered almonds
- Mix the first five ingredients together and gently bring to a simmer in a nonstick pan. Stir continuously until the chocolate dissolves and mixture thickens to pudding consistency. Cool and pour over the cheesecake. Spread with a spatula and sprinkle almonds on top.
This was good. Really good. It did not quite have the tang of a real cheesecake, though. Next time, I'll try to use the standard brand of cream cheese and maybe add a tbsp of lemon juice.
A very happy Thanksgiving to you. Remember the best shopping tip of the week- stay home and shop online!
What about Thanksgiving food, you say? Having failed to find a single can of pumpkin in the entire city, I finally made a sweet potato cheesecake that is cooling in the fridge. In the meantime, here is a light Panang curry.
Ingredients-
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp chilli paste (sambal)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 cup water
3 kaffir lime leaves, chopped ( or use 1 tsp lime zest with 1 tsp lime juice)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk
14 oz firm tofu, cubed
2 cups carrots, chopped
1 cup baby corn, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
a handful of thai basil, chopped
salt to taste
Heat oil in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds. Then add turmeric, peanut butter and chilli paste and saute for thirty seconds.
Add the water, kaffir lime, sugar and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add coconut milk, carrots, peppers, baby corn and tofu. Cook on medium heat for about twenty minutes until the carrots are cooked through but not mushy. Season and add the thai basil towards the end. Serve warm with rice.
The best one yet.
There are few tricks to a good tofu scramble-
Drain, drain, drain the tofu. The drier the tofu, the better it browns. Same with the veggies.
Use a cast iron skillet if you have one. If not, be generous with the oil. It helps crisping the outside of the tofu while keeping the inside juicy and soft.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika (smoked is better)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 lb firm tofu, drained and pressed
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped (or spinach)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in the skillet. Add the onion and saute until softened, a couple of minutes. Then add garlic and saute for another minute. Add the cumin, thyme, oregano, turmeric, paprika and stir around a bit. Then add the mushrooms. Spread them around in the skillet and saute until they brown.
Time for the tofu. I just crumble it in my hands as I add it to the skillet. Both with mushrooms and tofu, stir as little as possible, letting them brown on each side before turning. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chard, nutritional yeast and lime juice towards the end, letting the chard wilt and using the lime juice to scrape all the brown bits off the pan.
Why almost vegan, then? I couldn't resist adding some grated Havarti to the scramble before wrapping it in a tortilla to make the best brunch burrito ever.
There's a certain je ne sais quoi about dumplings. I'm fascinated by dumplings of all cultures, shapes, and forms. From matzoh balls to pierogi, from momos to gnocchi, they are the perfect comfort food.
The fact that they are usually a hundred percent carbohydrate is completely irrelevant.
I always though gnocchi were made with eggs, so the discovery that they don't have to be came as a pleasant surprise. In fact, some traditionalists say that eggs make for a chewier gnocchi, and that is not good. Three large sweet potatoes in the CSA box, some sturdy sage from the herb pot, and we're all set!
What you need:
2 lbs sweet potatoes, roasted (45 minutes in a 450 degree oven), peeled, mashed well
2/3 cup ricotta cheese (throw it in a fine sieve to allow water to drain out, a couple of hours or so)
1.5 cups or more of all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
The idea is to make a dough out of the above, using as little flour as possible. To make that possible, use the firmest variety of sweet potatoes you can find. Roast them in the oven instead of boiling. Dust all surfaces with generous amounts of flour and keep dusting.
Bring a huge pot of water to a boil.
Mix together the mashed sweet potatoes, ricotta, flour, salt and pepper. Don't overwork the dough. All you want is for it to stay together and not stick to your hands. Divide the dough into six pieces (a dough separator/scraper comes in very handy.)
Roll each piece out into a half-inch thick string and cut into gnocchi a bit larger than your thumbnail. Then press a floured fork into the back of the gnocchi to create grooves for sauce. Go here for a technique video.
Cook the gnocchi in three batches. Simply add them to the boiling water and fish out with a slotted spoon as soon as they start to float. Place in a platter.
At this point, you can spread them on a sheet, freeze, then store the frozen pieces in a ziplock bag. Or you can saute them in a sauce of your choosing. I melted a couple of tbsp of butter, fried ten sage leaves in it and added 2 tbsp of maple syrup, before giving the gnocchi a quick saute. Delicious.
I'm trying to quit apologizing for my Vox absences; things are the way they are. Instead, I want to share our brunch recipe for this weekend. Its easy, nutritious, and delicious.
This dish is best made with fresh cottage cheese or paneer. Store brought paneer, fresh Mexican cheese (the kind that does not melt) and tofu will work, but do try it with fresh paneer. Its delicious!
To make about 2 cups of paneer, you will need:
A large 2 quart microwave safe glass bowl/jug
2 quarts 2% milk
1/4 cup white vinegar (Different people use different curdling agents. Using yogurt will give you a milder tasting paneer. My mother always uses fresh lime juice as a curdling agent. It gives a fresher-tasting paneer.)
A large fine-mesh sieve, or a colander lined with muslin/layered cheesecloth
Heat the milk in the microwave until it comes to a boil. In my microwave, this takes about 14 minutes. Alternatively, you can boil the milk on the stove. When it comes to a rolling boil, stir in the vinegar. You'll see the milk start to separate.
Continue heating for another couple of minutes or until the greenish whey completely separates from the curds. Drain this mixture through the sieve, using your spoon to press out the whey.
You can save the whey and use it in other recipes-remember, its a little sweet. I like to use it to make rice and smoothies.
There it is, fresh paneer. Try tasting it with a little seasoned salt or sugar. You can also add salt, pepper and herbs to the curd-whey mixture before draining it to get seasoned paneer.
Other ingredients for the stir fry:
6 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 cups chard, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp powdered coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 green chillies, chopped
one clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large skillet.
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and stir until the cumin seeds pop.
Then add the green chillies, garlic. Saute for a few seconds, and add the paneer.
Crumble the paneer with the back of your spoon and saute until nicely browned.
Add the greens and saute until they are just wilted.
Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with naan/garlic toast/rice. Enjoy!
