Cornbread

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CORNBREAD

Adapted from Monique Volz by My Little Blue Heron

This cornbread is old-timey baking. It’s simple to make, not overly sweet, great on its own or as an accompaniment for a meal or with tea. 

Oat flour is easy to find in the U.S. Arrowhead Mills or Anthony’s are two great brands. 

You can use regular (medium grind) cornmeal, or combine it, half medium and half coarse grind, if you prefer a coarser texture. 

I recommend trying vanilla powder. There are many brands available, and instead of adding to your wet mixture, whisk it in with dry ingredients.

You won’t need a mixer or any power appliances other than your oven. (But if you prefer, use your electric stand mixer.)

Make sure you bake your cornbread long enough. Under-bake it, and it’ll be gummy and leaden. Over-baked, you'll use it for stuffing a chicken or a turkey.

Remove muffins or loaves from their tins as soon as you can handle them so they don’t steam themselves to gloppiness.

These will keep for a day or two, wrapped well. They freeze very well, and if you heat them, please keep them wrapped in foil while in the oven. Or use a microwave.

MLB truc: In choosing a mixing bowl: use a very large one .. larger than you need.

It's cold out. Stay in and bake. 

peace, love and cornbread,

jane

Cornbread

Ingredients:

Dry Mix:

1 cup gluten free medium grind cornmeal 

OR ½ cup medium grind and ½ cup coarse grind cornmeal

1 cup oat flour

2 tsp. gluten free baking powder

¼ tsp. vanilla powder

½ tsp. sea salt

Wet Mix:

1 cup dairy free or cow's milk

1 tsp. vinegar (activator)

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

¼ cup - more, if you like it sweet - honey (or maple syrup or agave) 

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

(or vegan butter - if salted, adjust salt in the dry ingredient mix.)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375º F. and prepare 12 muffin tins, lining them with cups, or greasing them generously. Or, if making a loaf, grease a loaf pan. (Nonstick is fine, but still give it a spritz. I use ghee/oil spray.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until well combined. (Or use an electric stand mixer)

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. By hand, a whisk is a good choice to smooth the batter.

Divide into prepared muffin tin or pour into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the sides come away from edges and a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging.

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. 

Honey-Maple Granola, updated

HONEY-MAPLE GRANOLA

Adapted from David Lebovitz by My Little Blue Heron

This recipe is buried as an ice cream topping in David Lebovitz’s fantastic ice cream book, The Perfect Scoop. I’ve gifted it for the holidays for the past two years (sans ice cream). A colleague told me he refuses to share it with his children. He sprinkles it on his morning yogurt. It’s a great mix-in, a great topping, a great snack, and it’s a great home made cereal. 

Homemade gifts are incomparable because they’re loaded with real ingredients and love. Packed into a clear cellophane bag or a Mason or other lovely glass jar, this is a great gift … for Valentine’s Day, or Anytine’s Day. Double the recipe and please keep some, if only a small amount, for yourself.  It’s delicious.

gifties

Well sealed, this keeps for months.

If you don’t have a Danish whisk for mixing, it’s a very nifty tool to get for your kitchen. The one I have isn't available now (pandemic?) This one will bring you two and it looks exactly like mine! Here’s the link.

You will need two baking sheets (you’ll rotate them top to bottom, front to back when you bake the cereal).

On your mark, get set, g’oats!

peace, love and (always) crunchy granola,

jane

Honey Maple Granola

Equipment: Baking sheet (or sheets if you double the recipe), mixing bowls, measuring cups, spoons and a kitchen scale

Ingredients:

3 cups/312g. organic rolled oats (not instant)

½ cup/70g. raw (unsalted) sunflower seeds

1 cup/80g. raw cashews, roughly chopped

½ cup/40g. dried shredded organic unsweetened coconut

2 Tbsp./20g. sesame seeds

½ tsp./1 g. kosher salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 Tbsp. raw, organic honey (I like wildflower)

3 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 ½  Tbsp. refined coconut oil (it will be odorless and won't dominate the taste)

½ cup (or more, if you like it fruity) diced (about ½”) dried fruit (to be added after the granola is baked. I love dice, dried, organic apricots (make sure they’re very fresh.) Feeling festive or is it holiday time or Valentine’s Day, throw in some dried cherries or organic dried cranberries. Chocolate?: How about some unsweetened chocolate chips!

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350º F. (150º C.)

In a large bowl, measure or weigh out all ingredients listed through and including cinnamon. Mix well (if you have a Danish whisk, this will work very well for this task!) Set aside.

In a small saucepan set over low heat, melt together the honey, maple syrup and coconut oil.

When warm and melted, whisk gently together and pour over the dry ingredients. Using the Danish whisk or another good mixing tool (a slotted spoon will work!), incorporate wet into dry.

Spread  evenly on baking sheet(s), and bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, checking every 10 to 15 minutes, stirring and turning gently until granola is golden brown.

Remove from oven and (IMPORTANT): cool completely before adding the dried fruit.

cranberries, golden raisins

dried cherries

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two months or pack up into small gift jars or bags and share!

Spinach and Baby Corn Soup

Spinach and Baby Corn Soup (UPDATED 4/4/20)

Adapted from Jain International Recipes by Tarla Dalal

by My Little Blue Heron

Here’s a soup recipe that’s EASY and pliable. You can use fresh/frozen or canned ingredients. During the pandemic, we need recipes that we can fool around with, improvise to eat delicious meals! This soup has just a few ingredients. It can be made with fresh, canned or frozen ingredients. 

Large clamshells of spinach have been available from the supermarket. It may be easier to get than lettuce. If you can’t buy it fresh, use frozen. In a pinch, use canned, but squeeze it dry. No spinach? Chard'll work. You can find baby corn at some markets. My Wegman’s in Brooklyn sells it fresh in little bags in their produce section. But as of today, Wegman's isn't delivering to me. Can that... literally. You can find cans of baby corn in brine in most supermarkets. No baby corn? Use adult (plain old) corn.

You’ll need coconut milk – whole, lite or powdered. If you live in New York and vicinity, mirchi.com will be opening its delivery window on April 10th. You'll get coconut milk. coconut milk powder, corn starch, ginger and probably spinach, too. If you don’t have corn starch, you can substitute with another starch like potato starch. Still shaking your head ‘no’? Here’s a solution. I like food52. 

Be fearless! It’s just soup.

You’ll need a very small amount of oil - olive or other, and if you have fresh ginger, this adds some deliciousness. If not, no big deal. I love the addition of a little ground mace (the outer shell of nutmeg). If you don’t have mace, grate in a little nutmeg. If you have neither, it’ll be really delicious. Really.

If you increase spinach or corn, add the whole can of coconut milk, which is more than a cup. (Or, you can freeze coconut milk for later use.) Add some vegetable broth/bouillon or water to extend the recipe. Add some more corn! 
Corn is corn. But it's so delicious.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s both flexible and forgiving. It's a teaching soup, something to drink in. Make it on the stove or in your Instant Pot (see below for Instant Pot directions).

This is a Jain recipe (that’s why I like it, uh huh uh huh), so no onion or garlic. This is a bonus if you have gut issues, are on a low fodmap diet, or if you’re low on onion or garlic. I added hing powder or asafoetida, which is frequently used as a substitute for onion and garlic. It’s supposed to be very good for you. J

Prep and cooking time: under half an hour!

Be happy, healthy, safe and try to have some fun in the kitchen (or anywhere)!

peace and love,

jane

        

Spinach and Baby Corn Soup

Ingredients:

2-3 cups chopped spinach (palak) (fresh preferred, but you can use frozen .. just don’t defrost it.)

10-12 baby corn, washed and cut into thin slices (or about ¾ cup, more or less, to taste, corn kernals)
1-2 cups of water or vegetable stock

1 Tbsp. corn starch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water (see above for subs)

1 cup coconut milk (or 3 Tbsp. dried coconut milk dissolved in 1 cup water)

1 Tbsp. olive (or canola) oil

½-1” fresh ginger (optional) (organic preferred), sliced very thin

Ground mace (or nutmeg), to taste (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Procedure:

Set aside the sliced baby corn, ginger and chopped spinach.

Heat the oil in a medium pot.

Add spinach, corn and ginger and sauté, over medium to medium/high heat until wilted.
Add spices (if adding mace/hing) and stir).

Add coconut milk and dissolved corn starch and stir.

Add water or vegetable stock to consistency of preference.

Cover and simmer for 10-20 minutes*. Adjust seasonings, to taste.

Serve.

Serves 2

*You can make this in your Instant Pot by first sautéing and then adding all ingredients, cover (no vent) on soup setting for about 7-10 minutes. Voila!  

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Gluten and Dairy Free

My Little Blue Heron

This is the best banana bread to emerge from my oven since I began baking without gluten. I’m so excited to share this recipe with you.

I hope you’ve been freezing your overripe bananas. Please do this. When you defrost them, you can pour off the liquid. You’ll have the most wonderfully condensed, banana-y flavor. Don’t worry about recalculating weight. If you opt to keep the liquid, that’s fine. (If using fresh bananas, you won’t have any liquid to pour off.)

You will need a kitchen scale. Please buy an inexpensive one for consistent results. Here’s a link. This link is for the United States. It’s an inexpensive scale. Not perfect, but sufficient for this (and other) recipes!

I worked with a couple of different starches and binders, and the winners are: arrowroot and xanthan gum. I prefer maple syrup as a sweetener, and (refined) coconut oil over clarified butter. Clarified butter adds dairy (but not casein) to the recipe. So for those dairy-free humans, this is good news.

Every gluten free baker should have a pantry with: buckwheat flour, oat flour, sorghum flour and arrowroot starch. Xanthan gum is a binder, and fro gluten free baking it’s a staple ingredient for your kitchen. Maple syrup is less processed than other sweeteners (and it's delicious). Look for reasonably priced maple syrup at Costco or Trader Joe’s. When it comes to coconut oil and baking, I recommend refined, organic coconut oil. Nutiva makes a great product. The label, 'refined' carries such negative connotations, as though it has been stripped of its healthy qualities. It's fat. It's saturated fat. Enuf said. 

Please buy whole nutmegs and a nutmeg grater. Fresh nutmeg is gorgeous. Try some on steamed or sautéed spinach; and mix some into ricotta (or Kite Hill vegan ricotta). I learned this from my mom. You need just a pinch. Buy fresh nutmegs from an amazing resource like World Spice Merchants or Penzey’s.  Both are great companies. Penzey’s supports teachers. I like people who like teachers.

I always recommend Baldwin’s vanilla extract. I’ve been recommending it to you for over ten years. I still recommend it. It’s good as gold.

Additions of nuts are up to you. If you don’t choose to add them, you can substitute gluten free chocolate chips. The bread isn’t cloying, so the addition of chocolate shouldn’t sugar shock you. I like walnuts with bananas, but I think pecans or hazelnuts would be excellent choices.

Fast away the old year passes. Out with those old bananas. Enjoy your days, one at a time, one breath at a time, a banana at a time.

Here's to a peaceful and healthy 2020. Let's hope that we find our way back to the garden, that we return to a country that is sane, that's led with intellect and that we return to democracy. 

Happy New Year!

love always.

always love.

jane

🍌 🍌 🍌 🍌 🍌

Banana Bread

Equipment: Electric hand or stand mixer, kitchen scale, bowls, measuring spoons, potato masher (for the bananas), loaf pans (standard size, or several smaller, or muffin tins).

Ingredients:

75 g. sorghum flour

75 g. oat flour

50 g. buckwheat flour

50 g. arrowroot flour

½ tsp./1g. xanthan gum

1tsp./6g. baking soda

½ tsp./2g. salt (I like kosher salt)

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

2 eggs, size large, room temperature

80 grams refined coconut oil, melted (cooled to room temp.)

½ c. maple syrup (dark is best for baking)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

385 g. banana (approx. 3 large), mashed

66 grams chopped walnuts (or pecans or ‘other’ nuts)

       (Or, throw in equivalent GF chocolate chips)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350º F. and prepare loaf pan or pans with spray release or brush with melted coconut oil.

1. Set a large bowl on your kitchen scale and tare it to zero.

2. Measure dry ingredients (through the nutmeg on the ingredient list), taring after each addition. (Alternatively, if you feel you’ll have better control, you can measure each ingredient separately (use one smaller bowl, dumping the weighed ingredient into the large bowl each time.) Remember: tare, tare, tare.

3. When all dry ingredients have been measured, whisk together until completely combined.

4. In another large bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), mix together: eggs, coconut oil (brought to a liquid state, but at room temperature) and maple syrup until well blended.

5. Add vanilla extract and blend.

6. Dump in the dry ingredients and mix, on low speed, until absorbed.

7. Add mashed bananas and mix until incorporated.

8. If adding nuts (or chocolate chips), dump them in and mix by hand. This will ensure that the batter is mixed throughout and ready for baking.

9. Fill prepared loaf pans (or muffin tins), filling them 2/3 of the way up.

10. Bake in the center of your oven, depending on size of product and your oven, anywhere from 15 minutes, up. The bread is done when you can put a toothpick in and it comes out clean. You’ll see the sides pulling away a little, too.

11. Remove from oven and as soon as you can, release from pans and cool on rack. When cool, serve or wrap well. These will keep for a day or two out of the fridge. After, refrigerate or freeze for up to a month.

Banappetite!