Whole Wheat Apricot and Pecan Bread

I've always been more inclined to have toast for breakfast instead of cereal. Whole wheat bagels are my favorite. But have you ever noticed how commercial bakeries consider whole wheat a flavor? You can have blueberry or whole wheat. Sun-dried tomato or whole wheat. An Everything Bagel or whole wheat. It's annoying. So I decided to make my own breakfast bread that was full of flavorful extras and whole wheat.

I didn't feel up to tackling bagels so I baked a big loaf of bread. I looked around the interwebs and found this Apricot English Muffin Loaves recipe and used it as a guide. This bread is subtly sweet and not just good for breakfast; it's also delicious with soup.


This goes out to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Chriesi from Almond Corner.

Whole Wheat Apricot and Pecan Bread

1 cup warm orange juice (about 105 F)
3/4 cup warm water (about 105 F)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 cups whole wheat flour (or more as needed)
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tablespoons agave nectar
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together water, orange juice, baking soda, and yeast. Add 1-1/2 cups flour and combine with a fork. Cover and let stand for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This sponge will bubble up and double in volume.

Add apricots, pecans, vital wheat gluten, agave nectar, canola oil, cinnamon and salt. Combine with a fork. If you're using a stand mixer with dough hooks to knead, turn it on now. Work 2-1/2 cups flour into the rest of the ingredients. You may have to stop your mixer and work the last of the flour in with a fork or big spoon.

Knead with a mixer on low for 5 minutes or turn dough out on a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. If your dough is too sticky to work with, add more flour a tablespoon at a time. When the dough has been kneaded enough it will not stick to your hands and will spring back when touched.

Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover loosely with a clean dishcloth or paper towel. Set aside to rise until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. Shape into a rectangle and press into a large 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Cover again and set aside to rise until doubled, about 30 - 40 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 F. Bake for 30-40 minutes. To test for doneness, turn bread loaf out of the pan and rap on the bottom with your knuckles. If it makes a sound, the bread is done.

Veggie Loaf

Veggie loaf is one of those classic dishes that needs to be in everyone's repertoire. This one tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing, thanks to the sage and other herbs. The leftovers make wonderful sandwiches. I especially like the sandwiches on whole wheat spread with cocktail sauce - a mixture of ketchup and prepared horseradish. Mashed potatoes make a perfect companion for both the plain loaf and sandwiches. 

This goes out to My Legume Love Affair, created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted this month by of Divya of Dil Se. 

Veggie Loaf

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 cup diced onion, about ½ an onion
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup walnuts
2/3 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Heat olive oil in a pot. Sauté garlic, celery and onion until tender. Stir in lentils, rice and broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Remove from heat and mash with a hand-held potato masher or a fork.

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together flax seeds and soy sauce until mixture thickens slightly. Add to lentil-rice mixture.

In a blender, coarsely grind walnuts. Add to lentils and rice. Briefly pulse oats in the blender to break up into smaller pieces. Add to lentil-rice mixture, along with sage, oregano, thyme and salt. Stir well.

Press mixture into a well-oiled 8 x 4-inch loaf pan. Press down mixture with the back of a spoon to remove any air pockets. Bake for 40 minutes.

Run a knife around edge of loaf and turn upside-down on a cutting board to remove loaf. Slice.

About 5 servings

Presto Pasta Nights #186 Roundup

Cooking means the opportunity to be creative. It's a way to comfort. It means the chance to explore far off lands. Pasta makes all of these possible. When Ruth, the creator of Presto Pasta Nights, asked for volunteers to host, I jumped at the chance. And I am so amazed at how everyone came through with the creative, the comforting and the exotic for this week's event.

Heather of girlichef made Giada De Laurentiis’ Linguine with Chicken Ragú , which was “happily wolfed down” by everyone at her house.  

Denise from Oh Taste N See figured out how to add plenty of vegetarian protein to her pasta dish without too much fat with her Pasta in a Creamy Roasted Pepper Hummus Sauce. 

It’s another of Giada’s recipes, this time from Carla of RecipeAddict.  She made Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce which she enhanced with some pepperoni to good effect.

 Katerina of Culinary Flavors felt ambitious enough to go through the “time and patience and effort,” not to mention “a lot of cleaning afterwards” in order to make Homemade Ravioli Stuffed with Mushrooms and Apple.  

After a long week, Anu of Truth Personified needed something “veggieful” and madeThai noodles in The Story of an Oodle.

Sala of Veggie Belly took inspiration from the traditional Italian pasta e fagioli and created Tuscan Kale and Chickpea Pasta. 

Janet from The Taste Space would like to settle once and for all whether couscous is a pasta or a grain, and she made Israeli Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables in order to convince you.

It’s a Twofer from Kait of Pots and Plots. First up, she gives us the comforting 4 Cheese Mac and Cheese. 

Next from Kait is Roasted Red Pepper and Corn Pasta Salad, perfect for a picnic.

Tigerfish of Teczcape lets the noodles soak up the sauce in Vegetarian Spicy Linguine with Spinach, Tomatoes and Mushrooms. 

 

Swathi from Zesty South Indian Kitchen tried some new ingredients this week and made a dish that was so much more than pasta with Ragu sauce: Pasta with mixed vegetables and poblano pepper mozzarella ricotta cheese sauce.

 

Inspired by a dish he had in Italy recently, Kevin of Closet Cooking created Wild Mushroom Pasta with Truffles.  

Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything made a twist on the old favorite spaghetti and meatballs with Bucatini with Turkey Meatballs.

 

Madge, the Vegetarian Casserole Queen  used vegetarian ground beef crumbles in “Meaty” Vegetarian Manicotti.

When Kristin of Holy Cannoli Recipes thinks of Japanese food, she doesn’t just think of sushi, she thinks of yakisoba, which she made her own way as Chicken Yakisoba. 

Caffettiera of La Caffettiera Rosa  was inspired at the last minute to make a traditional Pasta al Pomodoro for friends. 

   

 

 

    
 Ben of What’s Cooking Mexico likes to keep it simple when cooking in his small kitchen, but still managed to make “amazingly delicious” Chipotle and Rosemary Alfredo Pasta.

Her CSA has been giving her huge bagfuls of arugula every week, and Pam of Sidewalk Shoes doesn’t even like the stuff. However, she does love Pasta with Arugula Pesto. 

Claudia of Honey From Rock couldn’t resist naming her spaghetti sauce after the wine she put in it, and made The Velvet Devil Spaghetti. 

   




Lana of Bibberche greeted the first spell of cold weather with Pasta E Fagioli. 

I made Orzo Salad with Almond Feta.  

 


And last, but certainly not least, the creator of Presto Pasta Nights, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast turned Baby Bowties with Zesty Shrimp into a Frittata.

 

Thanks for all of the scrumptious entries, everyone! Next week, your host will be Tigerfish of Teczcape.

Almond Feta Cheese with Herb Oil vs. Cultured Cashew Cheese: A Fight to the Finish

There are a handful of homemade nut cheeses in cookbooks and on the internet. Most of them are time consuming, even the simple ones, and it took me until this summer to try one. That one was the Cultured Cashew Cheese from The Conscious Cook. I had planned to make another cashew cheese to compare the two, but then the Almond Feta Cheese with Herb Oil recipe from Vegetarian Times caught my eye, so I made that one instead. Which one of these am I most likely to make again?

Ease of preparation

Both recipes called for soaking raw nuts for 12 hours or so, pureeing them and combining with other ingredients. I had to blanch the almonds for the almond feta for that recipe first, while the cultured cashew cheese required that I locate and purchase a specific brand of probiotic powder and leave the "cheese" in a warm place to culture. The almond feta had to be baked to finish the dish. Even though it required this extra step, this was not as much trouble as acquiring the probiotics. The winner: the almond feta, by a nose.

Clarity of instructions

The cultured cashew cheese called for pureeing the soaked, drained cashews by themselves in a blender or food processor. The instructions did say that a Vita Mix blender was perfect for this, but it wasn't required. I used my KitchenAid food processor and ended up with a gritty texture which I found unpleasant. The almond feta recipe, on the other hand, called for pureeing the nuts with lemon juice, olive oil, and 1/2 a cup of water. I used only three tablespoons of water and got a very creamy mixture. I think that since I wasn't using a Vita Mix I should have added water to the cashew cheese also and the recipe should have said so. I suspect that this one wasn't tested on ordinary kitchen equipment, a big failure in my eyes. The winner: the almond feta, by a lap.

Best flavor
The major flavors in the almond feta are lemon juice, salt and olive oil, while the major flavors of the cultured cashew cheese are nutritional yeast and white pepper. I am not a huge nutritional yeast fan, while I love lemon juice. The winner: the almond feta.

Best texture
Several people who've made the almond feta have noted that theirs was creamy, but mine was somewhere between creamy and crumbly, somewhat like powdered Parmesan. As I mentioned in the clarity of instructions section, the cultured cashew cheese was gritty. The winner: the almond feta.

Cheesiest
After I cultured the cashew cheese, it smelled delicious and sweet, like ricotta. However, after I added the additional ingredients used for flavor, I couldn't taste the sweetness. I've never thought nutritional yeast was especially cheesy (it reminds me more of the flavor from a bouillon cube). The almond feta was very salty, like dairy feta. The winner: a tie.

Most versatile
The cultured cashew cheese would be good on a sandwich. In fact, the only thing I did with it was to make sandwiches and eat some on crackers. The almond feta, being as salty as it was, wasn't good on crackers, but was perfect on pasta and in a salad. I'm going to put some on a pizza soon, too. The winner: the almond feta, by a nose.

The verdict
The almond feta was the only one of the two recipes that I'd make again. It was so good, in fact, that I went on a hunt for more recipes with feta cheese in them in order to have a reason to eat more. Make this and you'll be glad you did!

Orzo Salad with Almond Feta

My regular supermarket gives cooking demonstrations all day, every day. After a while, I started to tune them out. However, when recently one of the chefs started listing what was in the dish she was cooking, it sounded good: "orzo, artichokes, feta, chicken..." I started mulling over how I could make a similar vegan dish.

I remembered seeing an almond feta recipe rated highly on other blogs so I gave it a try. It made the dish. My cheese-loving family didn't know it was made from nuts until I told them and I couldn't wait to dive into the leftovers for lunch the next day.

I didn't want to use veggie chicken, as it sounded too rich with the almond feta, so I added some of the vegetables you'd find in a Greek salad. I ended up not using artichokes either. When I pulled back the ring tab on the can, it went "boom!" It was loud! I'm not sure if the 'chokes were contaminated or not, but I've never given anyone food poisoning, my mom never gave anyone food poisoning, my grandmother never did - down the garbage disposal went the artichokes. I did offer my son some free botox, but he didn't take me up on it, the ingrate. I found some hearts of palm in the freezer and I was good to go.

This is my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Nights. Keep sending me your entries until Thursday night! Email me at cdmcculloch7 [at] gmail [dot] com.

Orzo Salad with Almond Feta

Note: The almond feta needs to be started at least two days in advance. You can freeze the pureed almond, lemon juice and olive oil mixture, and then thaw and proceed with the cheesecloth step later.

1 recipe Almond Feta Cheese with Herb Oil (you'll just use half the recipe in this)
1 cup whole wheat orzo (5 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 cup sliced hearts of palm or quartered artichoke hearts
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
12 olives, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried (I used fresh basil and dried oregano)
Whole pepperoncini peppers (optional)

Have prepared almond feta at hand. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and toss with oil and vinegar.

Stir in tomatoes, hearts of palm or artichokes, onion, olives and herbs.

Using a small spoon, scoop out thin slices of the almond feta and add to the salad, using half of the recipe. Toss gently. Garnish with pepperoncini if desired.

Serves 4. 

Announcing Presto Pasta Nights #186

I am honored to host Presto Pasta Nights this week. PPN is the tasty creation of Ruth at Once Upon A Feast. Every week PPN showcases some of the most creative pasta dishes in the blog world.

The rules are simple:

1. Your dish should contain some type of noodle. It can be any course, from any cuisine in the world, as long as pasta is one of the ingredients.

2. Mention Presto Pasta Nights and link to it here. Also, mention this blog and link to my main page here.

3. Please email your entries to me at cdmcculloch7 [at] gmail [dot] com and cc ruth [at] 4EveryKitchen [dot] com. You can include a photo of any width between 320 and 800 px, or I will grab the one on your blog post if you like.

I've already received some delicious entries and my own will be posted soon. Keep them coming!

Asian Broccoli Slaw

The last time I made Spicy Peanut Pasta I was craving something a little bit more substantial than a salad made with lettuce. I've been wanting to create a broccoli slaw for a while and use the broccoli stems. I adapted this one from a handful of recipes on a Garden Web thread. The toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds are what make this slaw special.

This goes out to the S.O.S Kitchen Challenge for October.

Asian Broccoli Slaw

1 bunch broccoli with stems
1 large apple (I used a Pink Lady)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Trim stems from broccoli crowns. Peel the stems. Grate in a food processor. Trim the broccoli crowns until you have small florets, as small as possible. Grate the trimmings (not the florets) in the food processor.

Peel, core and dice apple into 1/4-inch pieces. Toss well with lime juice. (The lime juice will keep the apple from turning brown for a day or so.)

Whisk together the rice vinegar, soy sauce, peanut or canola oil, agave nectar and toasted sesame oil to make the dressing.

In a large bowl, combine the grated broccoli stems, broccoli florets, apple and lime juice, and onion. Toss well with the dressing. Top with sesame seeds.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes tons - 8 servings or more.

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup

I haven't been vegetable gardening for long, and this spring was the first time I planted my garden from seeds instead of buying plants. It was also the first time I planted basil in the garden, instead of in pots. I planted the whole seed packet and ended up with tons of the stuff. I've been looking for creative ways to use it up ever since. It will be a month or two before it gets cold here, so I'm not ready to make pesto from it yet. One happy discovery: If you alternate between using fresh basil in Italian recipes and Asian ones, you don't get tired of it.

Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes (and her co-host Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen) requested noodle soups and salads for No Croutons Required this month. I wanted to make a Thai-style soup and use some of my basil. So, I made a list of ingredients I wanted to include in my soup, and then used a handful of recipes on the internet as guides. This hit the spot!

Thai Tofu Noodle Soup

7 ounces tofu (more or less - whatever 1/2 a package is for you)
1 teaspoon oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons prepared lemongrass*
1 heaping teaspoon minced ginger
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
juice of 1 lime (about 1-1/2 tablespoons)
2 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup canned straw mushrooms
7 ounces wide rice noodles (i.e. half a package)

Garnishes:
1 or 2 jalapeños , thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
2 green onions, white and green part, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes. Bake on an oiled baking sheet for 20-30 minutes, turning once or twice, until tofu is chewy and golden.

Heat oil in a large pot. Sauté garlic, lemongrass, and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add broth, coconut milk, lime juice and soy sauce to taste. Simmer over low heat, covered, until the tofu is done.

Add the tofu cubes, straw mushrooms and noodles. Simmer uncovered until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes.

Serve with the garnishes on the side.

Serves 4.

Note: If you have leftovers, be aware that the noodles will absorb all of the broth and get very soft in the refrigerator overnight. You might like this; I didn't.

*Here is a tutorial on preparing lemongrass. You will probably need 2 small or 1 large stalk for this recipe. (I bought prepared frozen lemongrass at the Asian market, a great time-saver.)

Strawberry Pastry Bites or Puff Pastry: Plan B

When I made the cupcakes for Jim's birthday recently, I had about a cup of icing left over, and I remember thinking that it would be terrific with strawberries. I spooned the icing in a small glass jar and put it in the freezer.

This week I was surprised to find gorgeous, perfectly ripe strawberries from California in the supermarket. I grabbed a large box, remembered the icing in the freezer, and decided to make little "cheesecakes," using puff pastry.

Pepperidge Farm puff pastry is a guilty pleasure of mine. It may be vegan, but it's not healthy, seeing as it is made almost entirely of white flour and vegetable oil. I can't help but love it though, as it's really easy to work with and makes the most elegant desserts and savory appetizers. I just keep it to only a box or two a year; it's definitely a special occasion item.

To make my little cheesecakes, first I cut circles with my largest biscuit cutter and then I carefully crimped the edges upward to make little tart shells. Guess what happens when you cut puff pastry with a biscuit cutter? It puffs up into biscuits! Who knew?

So, now that I didn't have cute little tart shells to work with, it was time for plan B. I tore each "biscuit" in half, turned the tops upside-down, and made two-bite pastries. We inhaled these.

This goes out to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Yasmeen of Health Nut. 

 Strawberry Pastry Bites

1 sheet puff pastry (1/2 of a 17.3-ounce box)
2 ounces (1/4 container) Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
1 1/2 teaspoons Cream De Cocoa
3/4 cup powdered sugar (i.e. powdered evaporated cane juice)
2 cups sliced strawberries

Thaw out the puff pastry according to instructions on the box. Preheat oven to 400 F.

Roll out puff pastry sheet about an inch larger in each direction. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut out as many circles as you can. Pinch the edges of the circles in 6-8 places each and transfer to a lightly oiled baking sheet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Cool.

In an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, Earth Balance margarine, Cream de Cocoa and powdered sugar.

Open up each circle of pastry into two circles. Place crispy side down. Spoon a teaspoon of the cream cheese icing onto each pastry circle. Top with 2 or 3 strawberry slices. Drizzle a bit of icing over the top.

Dry Okra from the Grill

I love the flavor of okra, but not its sliminess. (I think most people would agree with me.) Growing up, I only liked it two ways: in gumbo, where the sliminess is obscured by the roux, and fried. And when I say fried, I mean greasy-Southern-fried, with a batter of flour, egg and cornmeal - messy and unhealthy.

Recently I discovered that all you need to get rid of the sliminess of okra is to cook it quickly over high heat. It doesn't need to be deep fried. A quick stir fry on the stovetop or over hot coals does the trick.

I found this recipe for dry okra on Sea Salt with Food and adapted it for the grill. It originally comes from Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cooking. We had this with the tandoori seitan and cucumber raita.

This goes out to Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Simona of bricioli.

Dry Okra from the Grill

1/2 pound okra
1 slice sweet onion (about 1/2-inch thick)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder (or lemon juice)
1/4 teaspoon salt
a pinch of ground coriander
a pinch of cayenne pepper

Cut tops from the okra pods and then slice lengthwise. Cut onion slice in half and then separate the rings. Toss with remaining ingredients.

Prepare a charcoal fire. Grill over medium heat until okra starts to blacken a bit.

Serves 2-3.

Tandoori Seitan and Cucumber Raita

Marinated grilled seitan is sublime. Flavorful and simultaneously tender and chewy, it makes the most amazing gyros and fajitas. Something I've often wanted to try is tandoori seitan. The authentic meat and dairy-laden version of this is usually chicken, marinated in spiced yogurt. The seitan would stand in for the chicken, but what about the yogurt? I could make a special trip to Whole Foods, but the soy yogurt they carry is expensive and overly sweetened and they're frequently out of the plain version. So, I put my idea on the back burner.

Then Vaishali wrote on her blog Holy Cow about making a quick homemade tofu yogurt for curd rice. A few days after reading her post, I realized that the yogurt would be perfect for my tandoori idea (thanks for figuring the yogurt out, Vaishali!). Since the yogurt made more than I needed for a marinade, I used the rest in a cucumber raita, to cool us off after the heat of the tandoori seitan. I rounded out the meal with some basmati rice, store-bought whole wheat naan, and dry okra, also cooked on the grill. It was a feast!

Tandoori Seitan and Cucumber Raita

For the tofu yogurt:
1 package medium-firm tofu, drained (12 or 14 oz) or 1 box firm silken tofu (12 oz)
3/4 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided use
1 teaspoon salt, divided use

For the tandoori seitan:
All but 1 cup of the tofu yogurt
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste - this amount is fairly mild)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 bay leaves
12 ounces seitan, cut into long, thin strips

For the cucumber raita:
1 cup of the tofu yogurt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh mint chiffonade

The night before you plan to grill the seitan, make the yogurt: Combine the tofu, soy milk, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender or food processor. Set aside 1 cup of the mixture in the refrigerator for the raita.

To the remaining yogurt, add the rest of the lemon juice (1 tablespoon), the rest of the salt (1/2 teaspoon), the garlic, garam masala, cayenne pepper, paprika, and turmeric. Blend. In a non-metal bowl, combine the spiced yogurt with the bay leaves and seitan. Set aside in the refrigerator to marinate.

Before preparing a charcoal fire on the grill, make the raita: Combine the reserved tofu yogurt, cumin, sugar, cucumber and mint.

When the fire is ready, remove seitan strips from marinade. Cook on a grill pan, turning frequently, until the marinade has cooked off and the seitan starts getting crispy on the edges. Serve with the raita on the side.

Serves 4