Whole Wheat Soft Pretzel Recipe

Because I just can't leave well enough alone, I made a few variations of my basic pretzel recipe.  This first variation is a Whole Wheat Soft Pretzel.

Lisa's Whole Wheat Pretzel Recipe
3/4 Cup Warm Water
1/2 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Bread Flour
3/4 Whole Wheat Flour

Boiling Solution (This is for use later)
7 cups Water
1/3 cup Baking Soda

Mix water and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Sprinkle yeast on top and allow it to rest until it becomes "foamy" (depending on the ambient temperature this takes about 8-15 minutes).

Slowly add the flours and mix well.  As the dough gets more difficult to mix, you can begin to knead the dough on the countertop while continuing to add more flour.  Keep adding flour until the dough loses its stickiness and takes on a pliable but non-gooey texture.  In the past, I have had to add as much as 1/2 cup of extra flour to get the right consistency.  The recipe is very forgiving.  Don't panic about accidentally adding too much flour.  Just keep adding the flour slowly and you'll get a feel for it.

Allow the dough to rise in a large bowl which has been sprayed with cooking spray and covered with a dish towel (20-40 minutes).

Divide the dough into 8 pieces.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a foot long rope and twist these ropes into pretzel shapes.  Allow these doughy proto-pretzels to double in size one more time.  This is a good time to preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your boiling solution.

Put your 7 cups of water and 1/3 cup of baking soda into a large saucepan and bring it to a rolling boil.  Boil each pretzel in the solution for 30 seconds, flipping half way through.

Bake the pretzels at 450 degrees for 8-12 minutes on a lightly greased baking sheet.  I like my pretzels to be extra dark.  Adjust your baking time according to your own taste.

Vegan Curry Cookie Recipe

Earlier today, I was sitting in my apartment thinking about two things: curry and cookies.  My mind Frankensteined the two ideas together and came up with the following recipe.

The initial flavor of the cookie is sweet until a touch of cinnamon and ginger begins to shine through, and just when you think it is over, the spicy curry flavor hits.  The flavors are complex and build upon each other in an intriguing way. 

I may experiment with the recipe a little bit.  I think 2 tsp of vanilla would nicely accentuate the almond and curry flavors.  I think I would also like to try a version with coconut instead of currants. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup softened vegan margarine
1 cup demerara sugar (or regular sugar)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat (or all-purpose) flour
1/3 cup water
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp fresh ginger
4 or 5 tsp curry powder (I used a hot curry blend)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (optional)
1/2 cup roughly chopped almonds

Preparation: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the flour and combine.  Add the water, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon.  Incorporate 4 tsp of curry powder.  Taste the batter to check your spice levels (there are no eggs, so you can taste the batter without threat of salmonella).  If desired, add another tsp of curry powder.

Add the currants and almonds into the mixture.

Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten slightly. 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

 Makes approximately 45 cookies.


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Corn and Black Bean Salad Recipe

Last night I was feeling a little lazy but still wanted something warm for dinner, so I threw together this recipe with ingredients from my kitchen.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup corn (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/8 cup finely diced red onion
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp chili powder (more if desired)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
A touch of your favorite hot sauce (optional)

Spray a non-stick saute pan with cooking spray and allow it to heat up. Add corn to the pan and lightly brown the corn on both sides. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté them slightly. Add the beans, lime juice, salt, pepper, and chili powder to the pan and heat through.

Douse with a healthy dose of hot sauce.

It can be served hot or cold as a salsa or as a side salad.




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Blueberry Wheat Bran Muffin Recipe

This recipe is the fraternal twin of my Cranberry-Orange Wheat Bran Muffins.  It is equally delicious but slightly different from its twin.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 cup Rice Milk (or skim milk)
1 cup Untoasted Wheat Germ
1/2 cup Honey
4 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
1Tbsp Cinnamon (I always add a bit more)
1 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)


Mix egg, rice milk, wheat germ, honey, and baking soda together in a mixer, then slowly add the wheat flour.  Slowly incorporate the salt, oil, zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  When all of the other ingredients have been incorporated together, mix in the blueberries.

Spoon the batter into a muffin pan which has been lined with paper cups.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes.  Makes 12 standard muffins.

The texture of these muffins is dense, but they are light enough for a quick breakfast or snack during the day.



     

The Plantain Cafe - Review

I have been walking past the Plantain Cafe at least twice a week since moving to Columbus.  It is a cute, brightly colored cafe offering "authentic Cuban food", and it was voted one of Columbus Monthly's top restaurants for 2010.

In December, after living here for four months, I finally visited the cafe with my brother when he came to see the Penguins thrash the Blue Jackets.  Because I was elbow deep in final projects, and I had lost an evening of work by going to the aforementioned hockey game, we picked up the food to take back to my apartment.  We didn't get the full Plantain Cafe experience, nonetheless, the service was friendly, the food was ready when they said that it would be, and the food was delicious.

When my mom, dad, and brother came to visit this past weekend, my brother insisted that we go back for the full experience.  We were not disappointed.

My first meal from the Plantain Cafe was the vegetarian platter.  The platter consisted of three plantain sides - mariquitas (plantain chips), tostones (smashed and fried green plantains), and maduros (sweet plantains) - and a side of rice and beans.  The platter also came with a deliciously tart garlic and lime mojo.  Everything tasted great on its own, but a touch of the mojo made everything  better (except the maduros - they're perfect on their own).  The rice and beans were perfectly cooked and lightly seasoned.

The menu at the restaurant is limited.  They offer six sandwiches, six entrees, and six side dishes.  This means that everything has to be perfect in order for the restaurant to be successful.  It also means that there are very few vegetarian options.  For my second visit, I wanted to try something new, so I chose the Pan con Pescado (Fish Sandwich).  The sandwich was made with two lightly breaded and fried tilapia fillets which were topped with carmelized onions, tomatoes, and mustard.  The assembled sandwich was then toasted and pressed. 

I was a late comer to enjoying mustard.  I still hate French's mustard, and I only like Dijon or Coleman's mustard if it is thinly spread in a toasted sandwich.  Needless to say, I'm quite picky when it comes to mustard.  The mustard in the Pan con Pescado was tangy but did not overpower the sandwich.  It was served with mariquitas and their delicious mojo (seriously, I could bathe in that mojo).

The service was friendly and efficient.  The server joked with the customers and kept our beverage glasses full.  She even took it in stride when my brother ordered his Cubano sandwich without mustard and pickles and laughed when I joked that it was no longer a Cubano sandwich without those two ingredients.

They offer two soups: Sopa de Frijoles Negro (Black Bean Soup) and Sopa de Platano (Plantain Soup).  I hope that they are vegetarian.  They sound delicious and I would love to further broaden my Cuban food experience.

The meal for the four of us consisted of three sandwiches and two sides, and it came out to only $37.  

Lazy Iced Tea

I like iced tea, but often can't be bothered with all of the boiling, steeping, and icing that making iced tea entails, so I started making what I call "lazy iced tea".

Fill an appropriate container with 2 quarts of cold water.

Drop in 5-7 tea bags.

Cover the container and let it chill in the refrigerator overnight.

When you wake up, you will have delicious iced tea.  There's no need to remove the tea bags: because the tea is never heated, it doesn't get bitter.



    

Corn Dog Muffins and Honey Cornbread Muffins - Two Recipes

This first recipe was inspired by a conversation with my mom.  We were talking about making cornbread and the conversation drifted to the obscene quantity of veggie dogs that I have in my freezer.  We finished talking and hung up, but apparently her brain was still working.  She called me back and said just two words: "corn dogs".  Confused, I asked her to explain.  She thought that it would be a great idea to make corn dogs with the left over veggie dogs since I would have leftover cornmeal after I finished making my cornbread.  We continued talking and decided that it would be a great idea to bake the veggie dogs into cornbread muffins.  I suggested adding cheese and the following recipe was born.

Corn Dog Muffins

1 cup cornmeal (regular, fine, or coarse grind)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup Milk (I used goat milk)
1/2 stick of softened butter (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup shredded cheese
4 veggie dogs (any brand)


Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder.  Add egg, milk, and butter.  Beat until smooth (about 1 minute - do not overbeat).  Gently mix in cheese.

Portion out into a standard muffin pan which has been lined with paper cups.  Cut each veggie dog into thirds and place 1/3 of a veggie dog in each muffin.  Cover the veggie dog with batter.  (For smaller veggie dogs, you may be able to fit 1/2 of a veggie dog into each muffin).

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned.  Makes about 12 muffins.

This recipe feels like something that would be served at a 1950's barbecue, and they are fun to eat.  They would be great served with mustard and/or ketchup.

I used Veggie Patch veggie dogs, but I wish I had used one of the brands with a more substantial flavor.  





Honey Cornbread Muffins

 
1 1/2 cup cornmeal (regular, fine, or coarse grind)
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup milk (I used goat milk)
1/2 stick of softened butter (1/4 cup)



Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add honey, eggs, milk, and butter.  Beat until smooth (about 1 minute - do not overbeat).

Portion out into a standard muffin pan which has been lined with paper cups.  These muffins do not rise a lot, so you can fill the cups more than other muffin recipes.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Makes approximately 12 muffins.

I developed this recipe by combining a couple of recipes.  I like my cornbread to be slightly sweet, so I created a recipe with a good bit of honey.  They turned out perfectly sweet with a soft texture.


If you would like a muffin that is less sweet, use only 1 Tbsp of honey and eliminate one of the eggs.