Pumpkin Chia Pudding - Ayurvedic for a change?

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Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Adapted from The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell 

by Blue Heron Kitchen 

I like this recipe so much. It’s gluten and dairy free. It has no processed sugar. It has protein! Enjoy this pudding as a meal, for breakfast, lunch, or as dessert. It’s not too sweet. Of course, you may wish to make it sweeter. I had some date issues (the Medjool date kind, thank you), so I left them as chunky treats in my pudding. They didn’t blend (in my Vitamix, go figure.) I recommend that unless your dates are extremely moist fresh, soak them in warm water for about 10-15 minutes before adding to the blender. Or, you can add date or coconut sugar or a tablespoon of raw honey. 

The spice mix (recipe below) is a great one to have on hand. It’s so nice to change it up and substitute it for your conventional pumpkin pie spice. Add it to your seasonal baked goods. It’s really lovely and an added perk is that it'll aid your digestion!

Ayurvedic cooking is a world that I’ve just begun to explore. Seasonal cooking is integral to this world. It makes sense to eat what’s in season, doesn’t it? When it’s cold, have soup. When it’s hot, eat cooling foods. When it’s Thanksgiving Indigenous People's Day, eat pumpkin.

Kate O’Donnell writes cookbooks for westerners. I recommend you look at her books.

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. 

peace, love, pumpkin and

thank god for Joe and Kamala!

jane

Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. chia seeds (I use organic)

½ c. non-dairy milk (almond, oat, cashew)

½ c. pumpkin puree (homemade is best, but if using canned, organic is best)

½ tsp. vanilla extract or ¼ tsp. pure vanilla powder

1 Medjool date or 2 deglet moor dates, pitted, soaked for 10 minutes and drained

1 tsp. pure maple syrup, organic is best

1 tsp. ‘everyday sweet spice mix’* (recipe below) (or pumpkin pie spice)

optional dash of freshly grated nutmeg for garnish.

Procedure:

In a small bowl, soak the chia seed in the non-dairy milk, for five minutes, whisking frequently to make sure they don’t clump.

In the container of your blender, put the remaining ingredients except the nutmeg. After five minutes of soaking, put the chia seed mixture on top.

Blend on high for two minutes, until smooth and whipped.

Put into two dessert bowls or one bowl for a main dish. 

Serve with a dash of freshly grated nutmeg.

*Everyday Sweet Spice Mix

(You can halve this recipe if quantity is too large.)

2 Tbsp. ginger

2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. ground cardamom

mix together with a whisk and store in a small jar. 

Sweet Potato Flour Spice Cookies, Gluten Free and Flavor Full

Buckwheat and Sweet Potato Flour Spice Cookies

My Little Blue Heron

Fragrant, aromatic spices combine with earthy buckwheat flour, Peruvian sweet potato flour, brown sugar and pecans for a perfect nibble. 

Vanilla powder is, for serious d'Gluties, a reliable go-to vanilla source. (I like Baldwin's Vanilla Extract from West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Find them online, but I think you still have to call them to order: (413) 232-7785).

You can form these into rolls and slice and bake them, even freezing the rolls in parchment or waxed paper. Or you can form the cookies and freeze them on sheets and bake them off when you want some. 

Be happy, healthy, peaceful and feel at ease in and out of your kitchen.

xojane

Dry ingredients (whisk together in a bowl and set aside):

100 g. buckwheat flour (Arrowhead Mills is a good choice)

45 g. sweet potato flour (mine's from Peru) Find on Amazon.com

¼ tsp. vanilla powder (you can add 1 tsp. liquid vanilla extract to the butter/sugar/egg mixture if you  

        don't have vanilla powder.) I buy mine at vitacost.com

1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon 

¼ tsp. ground cloves (freshly ground, if you can)

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg (freshly ground only)

¼ tsp. mace (easy to find at Indian grocers)

1 tsp. Kosher salt

½ tsp. baking soda

Make the Vanilla Browned Butter:

Render 12 oz. unsalted butter to make ‘ghee’, melting over medium heat in a small saucepan, with 3 vanilla beans, scraped, including the pods. Skim the foam that rises to the top and continue to gently boil the butter until it stops making any bubbling noise. This is when it begins to brown. Swirl the butter fairly often so the it browns evenly and doesn’t burn. When the butter reaches a nutty brown color and scent, remove from burner and pour through a fine sieve into a container (glass is best). Set aside to cool. Do this before you make the cookies. You can make a big batch of this. It will keep indefinitely and is great to use in so many recipes.

Remaining Ingredients:

113 g. vanilla browned butter

1 egg, size large, pasture eggs are lovely, but whatever you've got at home is fine, at room temperature

100 g. dark brown sugar

112 grams of pecans, toasted, cooled and chopped coarsely (substitute your favorite nut)

Optional 10X (powdered) sugar, sifted for coating cookies. 

Procedure:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together 113 g. vanilla browned butter (weigh it!) with brown sugar and egg until light and fluffy.

Dump in dry ingredients and mix on low until incorporated. Increase speed and mix until well-combined. Just before mix is completely combined, add pecans and finish mixing.

One method: Remove bowl and roll batter into logs, approximately 1 ½” in circumference. You can do this in waxed paper or parchment paper. Twist the ends to ‘close’ the logs and chill until firm (at least a few hours or overnight.) You can freeze the rolls, too. If you freeze them, when you remove them from the freezer, slice them and bake them frozen. You’ll add on a few minutes to the baking time.

Another good method: Using a small cookie scoop, or two teaspoons, drop the cookies on parchment linked baking sheets, leaving room between the scoops. Using the tines of a fork, press down, turn the fork at a 45-degree angle and press again (like making peanut butter cookies.) If the batter is too sticky, you can refrigerate it, or dampen the tines. Sprinkle a little Turbinado sugar on each cookie and bake. (Truc: If you like 'salty-sweet', combine some coarse salt, like Maldon Salt with the sugar, to taste, and sprinkle on top of your cookies.)

The Bake:

Preheat oven to 350º F. and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set oven racks to upper and lower third of oven.

Slice cookies about ¼” thin (if you like very thin wafers like I do.)

Or drop method (see above.)

Bake in preheated oven until brown, taking care to not burn them. Transfer top to bottom, back to front after about 5 minutes (or half way through the bake, depending on your method and cookie-largeness. 

Cool on racks. Optional coating with 10X.

Play around: Make sandwiches with apricot or raspberry jam. Add some melted dark chocolate. Omit the jam and sandwich with chocolate or dip in chocolate if that's your jam. 
xojane

Two Cranberry Sauces

Two Cranberry Sauces

In celebration of Bernadette Martin, the 'brain mother' of Blue Heron Kitchen

Happy Birthday, Bern!

Cranberry Sauce (spicy)

If you're still looking for a cranberry sauce that's not from 'the bag' or from a can, here are two great recipes. One's spicy and the other's boozy. The boozy one is "Blue Heron Blue Ribbon." (I just invented that one.) These are easy-to-make and great gifts for your host.

Either or both will complement your Thanksgiving feast or any fall or winter repast. Try them with roasted roots, fowl, game or meat. Serve the sauces with soft ripened cheeses! Use as relish or as a condiment on your sandwich. The NY Times reports that cranberries are abundant this year. So grab a couple of bags at your market. I'll get to work on some more recipes.

I'm volunteering for Thanksgiving this year. I hope you're having a wonderful holiday with family, friends .. or you, too, are helping others who have less .. or none.

peace and love.

with a smile and song,
jane

Cranberry Sauce with Jalapeño and Ginger

Adapted from David Tanis by Blue Heron Kitchen

1 c. sugar

2 jalapeños, preferably red, seeded and finely diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ c. water

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger or , if you don’t have fresh, 1 ½ tsp. dried

12 ounces cranberries

Procedure:

Put sugar, jalapeños, lemon juice, salt and cayenne in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add water, then stir to dissolve sugar, and simmer 2 minutes.

Add ginger and cranberries, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let mixture cook, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have softened and no liquid remains in pan.

Let cool and season to taste. Add more cayenne or jalapeños if desired.

May be stored in fridge up to two weeks.

Hot Stuff!

Cranberry Sauce (boozy)

Cranberry Sauce with Pears, Brandy and Walnuts

Adapted from notlazy.rustic by Blue Heron Kitchen

This may be the best cranberry sauce I've ever tasted. The recipe comes from the great food blog, “Food52”, a portal for foodists and a resource that I turn to when recipes and ingredients are “stale.”  Last year’s cranberry-port gelée is another great recipe and a keeper.

This recipe is chunky and boozy. Serve it at the grown-up table.

Perfect with cheese, mixed into morning-after-porridge or as a side for Turkey, chicken, duck or pork.

Here are Food52’s' Editors' Comments: "In this cranberry sauce, you won't find any of the punishing tartness you get in many -- it's all silk and fragrance. The pears, which are shredded, melt into the sauce. The cranberries soften and soak up the brown sugar and cinnamon. And the brandy smoothes any wrinkles. You add a little brandy in the beginning and some more at the very end, as you stir in toasted walnuts. We've made the sauce with grated apple and it's just as delicious. We've also served it over fresh ricotta -- make sure you have some leftovers so you can try this!"

“Notlazy” suggests fooling around with the amount of brandy. (It’s happily boozy.) I mixed Poire William with some good French brandy. You can change the nuts to pecans, but there’s so much sweetness in this that I think the walnuts lend an excellent balance. In general, we should all be the boss when it comes to nuts and other ingredients.

Cranberry Sauce 

with Pears, Brandy and Walnuts 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup, plus 2-3 tablespoon brandy, divided

water

2 cinnamon sticks, each broken in half

8 black peppercorns

12 ounces fresh cranberries, picked over

¾  c./75 g. packed light brown sugar

2 medium Bartlett pears, ripe but still quite firm, peeled (organic are best!)

½ c. chopped walnuts, toasted, 1 Tbsp. removed for garnish

Procedure:

Pour 1/3 cup brandy into liquid measuring cup; add enough water to reach ½  cup. Set aside.

Place broken cinnamon sticks and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth or if you are a loose tea drinker and have them, a large tea bag; and secure with kitchen twine.

In medium saucepan, combine cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon-pepper bundle.

Using large holes on a box grater, grate pears into saucepan.

Pear perfect.

Stir in brandy-water mixture.

Over medium-high heat, bring cranberry mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium and cook 10-12 minutes, or until cranberries have burst and the mixture has come together, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons brandy.

Let cool. Remove and discard cinnamon bundle.

Stir in toasted walnuts. Transfer mixture to small serving bowl; sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of walnuts.

(ooh la la .. or.. la la la!)

Roasted Carrots with Dill

Roasted Carrots with Dill

Adapted from Tori Avey (The Shiksa in the Kitchen) by Blue Heron Kitchen

Root vegetables - sweet and low down. While you can, buy them at your local farm stand or farmers market. Buy them loose wherever possible. Selecting your own carrots is empowering. (Those orange bags are upsetting.) Buy organic carrots. Carrots are a perfect vegetable.

What I like about this recipe is how the fresh, green-dill-burst lifts the sweet earthiness of roasted carrots. They’re a great addition to a roasted vegetable platter and are perfect accompaniment to fish or fowl. They’ll be gorgeous next to beef ; and I love them with frittatas! 

Why not audition them now as a new addition to your Thanksgiving feast. The color contrast is stunning. They’re light and not as rich as most Thanksgiving sides. For a delicious variation and stunning presentation roast both carrots and parsnips. 

with a smile and song,

jane

Roasted Carrots with Dill

Ingredients:

2 lb. whole carrots (I prefer young medium-sized carrots with greens still attached)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. freshly chopped dill
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste

Fleur de sel for finishing (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400º F. Clean and remove the tops from the carrots (scrub them well or peel them, your preference.)

Place the carrots on a greased sheet tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss with your hands, making sure they’re evenly coated with oil. Lightly salt and pepper.

Roast carrots for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn the carrots with tongs and sprinkle with 1- 1½ Tbsp. freshly chopped dill, then return to the oven and roast for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, place carrots on a platter. Sprinkle with remaining fresh dill.

Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Or sprinkle with optional fleur de sel (my preference!)

Serve immediately, or serve at room temperature.

Serves approximately 6

Cranberry-Port Gelée

Cranberry-Port Gelée

From Canal House, Adapted by Blue Heron Kitchen

The best resource you’ll find for the world of food and cooking on your computer is food52. This portal is beautiful, smart, interesting and filled with more information and resources than I have time to explore. It’s the Bergdorf Goodman of food sites. (You’re now in a .99 store.) Canal House is a great story and resource and this recipe heralds from their site. Who said Philadelphia was only good for …

This is a cranberry jelly, like the one in the can, but for sophisticated palates. If you’ve been having a staring contest with your juniper berries, you’ll win. If you don’t have any, go buy some. This recipe is worth the investment. I have a bottle of inexpensive blended port that I used. You can use red wine or Madeira.

If you have a Chinois (“China cap”), the Bentley of fine mesh sieves, this would be ideal. But a really fine mesh sieve/strainer works perfectly well.

The yield is about what you’d get in a can. The return is handsome.

It sets up in a couple of hours, but you can make it a few days before you’ll serve it.

This is a gorgeous and sophisticated condiment. It pairs with fowl or meat. It’ll compliment a chunk of country paté and it'll dress up your chopped liver.

This jelly will be sitting pretty aside our Thanksgiving pork roast! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

peace and love,

jane

Cranberry-Port Gelée

Ingredients:

1 cup port (or Madeira or red wine)

1 cup granulated white sugar

1 Tbsp. juniper berries

10 black peppercorns

12 oz. fresh cranberries (1 bag) or about 4 cups – you may substitute frozen cranberries

Procedure:

Into a heavy saucepan, put port, sugar, juniper berries and peppercorns.

Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil.

Add cranberries and return to a boil. Lower the flame and cook over medium-low heat for approximately 10-15 minutes, until berries have burst and are very soft.

Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve, pushing the berries against the sides with a rubber spatula, into a bowl. Scrape the outside of the sieve with the spatula to remove the thicker part of the strained jelly.

Once you’ve completed straining, whisk the thicker into the thinner liquid, mixing them together.

Pour into a lovely serving bowl.

Cover and refrigerate. This will set up in two to three hours. It can be made several days in advance.