Skillet Cornbread

I made this tonight to go with some roasted vegetables. It was simple to make and cooked in about 28 minutes with my convection oven turned to 400 degrees. I can't remember where I got the recipe.

2 cups cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 cups soymilk
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix cornmeal, flours & baking powder.
In separate bowl whisk together soymilk, canola oil, salt & maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Oil an 11-inch round cast-iron skillet with the olive oil. Over high heat, heat the oil until it starts to smoke. Pour the batter into the heating skillet. Bake approximately 40 minutes (unless you're using convection!).

fresh produce recipes

my mom sent me these links to recipes from MSU a while ago. they open up PDFs in your browser. i haven't tried any of them but they seem easy and are organized by ingredients, so let me know if you try any of them. my mom would love to know.

http://tinyurl.com/66rxnk
http://tinyurl.com/6jdqoq

Root cellaring

NY Times recently wrote about the renewed interest in preserving including root cellaring. I remember the rows of stuff my grandma used to keep in her root cellar (though I really just remember preseved goods not fresh vegetable storage). It seems like it would be interesting I'm just scared of rodents.

Read the NYT article.

Treats

Sweet Ginger Broccoli with Tofu

Looking for something to make with broccoli & ginger for dinner tonight, I stumbled on this recipe (and used tofu in place of chicken). It was delicious!




My version of the recipe is below...

marinade:
* a generous splash of rice vinegar
* 1 teaspoon grated ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (i didn't have an orange)
* 1 tsp of Thai chili sauce
* 1 package extra-firm tofu
* mirin up to the level of the tofu

sweet ginger orange sauce:
* 3 Tablespoons mirin (i didn't have any left after making the marinade and it was just fine without it. but i'd try it with next time!)
* 3/4 cup orange juice
* 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 3 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 1 teaspoon sesame oil
* 2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
* 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce

stir-fry:
* 4 cups broccoli florets
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 carrots diced
* 2 small sweet red peppers
* 2 Tablespoons sesame oil

serve over:
* steamed rice

Preparation Instructions:
1). Cut tofu into 1/2 inch thick rectangles. Gently press in towel to remove excess moisture. Dry-fry in a nonstick pan over medium heat with NO OIL, pressing with a spatula frequently. It is done when firm and golden on both sides.

2). Stir together the marinade ingredients, adding the tofu.

3). Wash and chop all of your vegetables. For the broccoli, use only the flowerets.

4). Marinate the tofu at least twenty minutes (I did for over an hour cause I started dinner while Emmett was napping).

5). Prepare the sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together well.

6). Heat pan over medium-high to high heat. Add about oil, then add onions. Cook until soft. Add the drained tofu and the rest of the vegetables. Stir-fry over high heat just until the broccoli is tender but still slightly crunchy (5-10 minutes). Cut the heat and toss the stir-fry with the sauce.

7). Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Summer Greens and Potato Fry-Up

This is from the "From Asparagus to Zucchini" Cookbook.

1 T butter
1 tsp chili oil
4 small potatoes thinly sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound fresh spinach, chard, or other mild-flavored greens, washed & stemmed (I used chard)
1/2 tsp dried ground thyme
3/4 cup cooked sweet corn (i didn't cook it first)
3 sprigs fresh oregano (i subbed dried oregano)
1/2 tsp paprika (i didn't have this)
grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat butter and chili oil in large nonstick skillet over medium flame. Add potatoes and onions, and season well with salt & pepper. Let the potatoes brown slightly in the pan on one side for several minutes. Toss potatoes, season with more salt & pepper, and let them brown lightly again. When potatoes are almost tender, toss in greens and thyme, then add a little less than 1/4 cup water (I used veggie broth), cover the pan, and raise heat to high. Let steam until greens are nearly done, 1-2 minutes. Uncover, add corn, oregano, and paprika, and allow potatoes to finish cooking & browning. Season to taste and top with parmesan. Serve with fried eggs if you like (we did!).