Teff, peanut butter, and cookies, oh my! Teff adds a subtle hazelnut/chocolate flavor to these peanut butter cookies, and just so happens to be gluten free and high in dietary fiber, protein, iron, and calcium. With this easy six ingredient recipe starring the super nutritious teff flour, you can almost convince yourself that you are eating these cookies for health, and not pleasure! Almost…
We found this recipe conveniently located on the back of our bag of teff flour from Bob’s Red Mill. It is by Leslie Cerier, who just so happens to be the author of one of our favorite cookbooks: Going Wild in the Kitchen.
1 1/2 cups Teff Flour 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 cup peanut butter
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. In your favorite food processor blend the maple syrup, canola oil, vanilla, and peanut butter well. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, incorporating well. Form little balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheat. To get that classic criss-cross look that peanut butter cookies are famous for, get your criss-cross action going with a fork. Bake for about thirteen to fifteen minutes. Allow them to cool all of the way, and then gobble them up!
Mocha Rice Pudding Garnished with Fresh Strawberries
The seasons change and with them the availability of fresh, local produce. Crisp fall apples, tart cranberries, juicy summer strawberries, fresh figs — would they be so special if we could eat them all year round?
Reinventing a recipe keeps it fresh and enjoyable. For example, you can make Apple Blackberry Pie in fall, Pumpkin Pecan Pie in winter, Lemon Tart in spring, and Blueberry Crumb Pie in summer. For variation, use the same pie crust and change the filling. Create a new variation to the pumpkin pie filling by adding sweet potatoes, or substituting butternut, or kuri squash. Use more cinnamon or cloves. Change the pie crust, too by switching the flour, oil, or sweetener.
Likewise, keep your basic minestrone new and inspiring all through the winter by swapping vegetables. Use butternut squash instead of carrots, leeks for onions for example. Other times change the beans from pinto to kidney to other beans. Cook the beans from scratch with a sea vegetable, like kelp. Another time, switch the sea vegetable to dulse, or skip the seaweed, and just use spices. And of course, you can vary the herbs, too. Finally, flavored oils can take the place of some herbs and spices.
My enthusiasm for creating new recipes and menus comes from the local harvest. For instance, in June the markets near my western Massachusetts home yield strawberries, spinach, baby red kale, arugula, radishes, lettuce, mustard greens, and mizuna (an Asian green leafy vegetable that you can eat like spinach). Perennial herbs like chives, oregano, garlic chives, sage, and sorrel abound. Simultaneously harvested, they become the natural choices to mix and match into savory salads, dressings, quiche, scrambled tofu, sushi rice rolls, and pasta dishes. During summer, crunchy fresh string beans, cherry tomatoes, and sweet baby carrots are wonderful in salads dressed with aromatic basil. The first zucchini and eggplant inspires me to fire up the grill. Come fall, collards, red peppers, and cilantro, revitalize the tofu scramble. The vibrant cool weather leafy kale, moist to the touch seduces me in winter when spinach is out of season. Kale becomes the green to use in quiche, soups and stews. When we take our cues from Mother Nature, she gives us plenty of guidance.
The weather affects our cooking methods, too. In hot weather, you may want to stay away from the stove. Quick grilled vegetables and tofu, refreshing smoothies, marinated salads with corn, berries, and chevre cool you off. To beat the heat, cook beans, pasta, or grains in the early morning or the night before when the house is cool. Cold winter days are ideal for long simmering soups, garlicky roasted vegetables and spicy stews made with the vegetables of the season: potatoes, carrots, winter squash, and yams. An attractive garnish can enliven any dish. For example, decorate summer pasta salads with yellow calendula flowers and bright red bee balm for a splash of color. Toasted nuts and seeds on top of green salads add a contrasting texture. Chopped herbs on cooked rice give a delicate fragrance. These simple pleasures charm the heart.
Recipes are not etched in stone in my kitchen, nor should they be in yours. The more you cook, the easier it becomes to improvise. Calm and confident, you can focus; choose ingredients, rinse and chop, mix and taste. Your inner wisdom will tell you when to follow pure intuition and when to stop and think it out.
Bee on Flowering Marjorami in Leslie's Organic Herb Garden
Herbs and spices are Mother Nature’s versatile gifts. Herbs are the leaves; basil, thyme, and cilantro are good examples. Spices are the twigs, stems, roots, and seeds such as garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger.
Before adding herbs and spices to a dish, smell or taste them to make sure they are fragrant and potent. Dried herbs can be stored for about a year, spices longer. Generally, you can add hearty spices in the beginning of cooking a dish. Delicate herbs, whether fresh or dry, are added at the end of cooking.
Every culture has its blend of sweet, sour and pungent flavored herbs and spices (Ethnic Herb and Spices, Global Flavors Chart below). Paired with beans, grains, vegetables, fruits, oils, wines, and cheeses; herbs and spices deliver ethnic flair, support our health, and reduce our need for salt. As garnishes, herbs whet our appetite with a stylish hint of what is to come.
Bay Leaf, Mediterranean Marinated Dried Tomatoes and Olives Decorate Organic Vegetable Stir Fry
Various herbs and spices cross borders and appear in more than one ethnic cuisine. Ginger is common in Indian, African and Asian dishes. Dill is a regular in Eastern European, Indian, Mediterranean and French cooking. Cumin is standard in African, French, Indian, Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine. These herbs and spices called carminatives aid digestion. They contain volatile oils that absorb intestinal gas, relax stomach muscles, increase peristalsis and reduce flatulence. Thyme, cinnamon, fennel, chilies, anise, caraway, cardamom, mint, and turmeric are also carminatives. Before scientists could explain their restorative virtues, cooks worldwide intuitively cooked with these herbs and spices.
3 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup canola oil or melted extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and set aside.
2. Combine the flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl
and set aside.
3. Place the oil, molasses, honey, and ginger in a blender. (If the
ginger is too fibrous, gather it in your hands, squeeze the juice
into the blender, and then discard the grated fibers.) Add to the
flour mixture and stir to form a moist dough.
4. Knead the dough for a minute, then shape into walnut-sized
balls. Place on the cookie sheet about 3/4-inch apart. Flatten gently with a fork.
5. Bake 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven, and cool at least
10 minutes before serving.
I have discovered the easiest way to make knishes. Use egg roll wrappers.
This recipe’s mashed potato filling is flavored with black olives,
scallions, and olive oil. Delicious!
Yield: 14 knishes
6 cups mashed potatoes
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 cup coarsely chopped scallions
3/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
14 egg roll wrappers
(6-inch squares)
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2.In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with 1/2 cup of the oil, the olives, scallions, and sea salt. Adjust the season-
ings, if desired.
3.Place an egg roll wrapper diagonally on a large cutting board or plate, so it appears diamond-shaped. Place 2 tablespoons of the
potato mixture in the center. Fold the top and bottom corners over the filling to meet in the middle, then fold the right and left corners
to meet in the middle. Pick up the knish and place it in the palm of both hands as if it were a ball and gently squeeze to make it round
in shape. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
4.Arrange the knishes on an unoiled baking sheet, and brush the tops with the remaining oil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden
brown.
5.Arrange the knishes on a platter and serve plain or with your favorite dipping sauce. Mustard Sauce with Maple Syrup and Miso (page 76 of Going Wild in the Kitchen) is recommended.
Lasagna with Chèvre, Arugula and Crimini Mushrooms
Lasagna is very versatile. In this version, chèvre stands in for the more commonly used ricotta cheese, and goat cheddar subs for mozzarella.
Other cheeses that melt well, such as goat Gouda, French petite Basque or Spanish Manchego, are good choices, too.
2.Spread 1/2cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish. (You can use one of the lasagna noodles to do
the spreading.) Lay 3 of the noodles over the sauce.
3.Spread the chèvre on top of the noodles, top with another 3 noodles, and cover with mushrooms and arugula.
4.Place the last 3 noodles over the mushrooms and arugula, and press gently. Top with the remaining sauce and grated cheese.
5.Cover with foil or a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the noodles are soft and the lasagna is hot and bubbly.
6.Remove from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes to set. Cut into squares and serve.
For a Change . . .
•Instead of crimini mushrooms and arugula, try a combination of marinated sun-dried tomatoes, fresh or roasted bell peppers, chopped radicchio, sautéed shiitake mush-
rooms, and kale.
•Replace the layer of vegetables with another layer of grated cheese.
•Vary the type of lasagna noodles; use rice, whole wheat, spelt, spinach, or artichoke soy. Even penne or macaroni pasta works well.
•For a Mexican-style version, use jalapeño jack soy cheese instead of chèvre, and salsa in place of tomato sauce.
A pinch of saffron deepens the flavor of this mildly spicy lentil soup.
Beautiful Daughter, Michelle eating Moroccan Lentil Soup from Leslie Cerier's Going Wild in the Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6
1 cup lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
3-inch-piece dulse (optional)
Pinch of saffron
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
4 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 pinches cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 3/4 cup coarsely chopped plum tomatoes
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1. Place the lentils, water, dulse (if using), and saffron in a 6-quart stockpot. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils soften.
2. While the lentils are cooking, place the oil in a 10-inch skillet, and warm over medium heat. Add the cauliflower, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, cumin, and cayenne. Sauté vegetables for about 5 minutes, or until they become brightly colored, and the cauliflower begins to soften.
3. Add the sautéed vegetables and turmeric to the lentils. Simmer covered till the lentils are soft, about 10 more minutes.
4. Stir in the tomatoes; simmer covered for about 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
Tasting mildly like chocolate, teff flour has plenty of natural sweetness and blends well with nuts and chocolate. These cookies, a classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate, are delightful treats.
ingredients
1 1/2 cups teff flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, optional
1 1/8 cups peanut butter
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil or canola oil
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the teff flour and salt, if using. Set aside.
3. Place the peanut butter, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla in a food processor, and blend until creamy. Add to the flour along with the chocolate chips, and stir to form a moist dough.
4. Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls, and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet about 3/4-inch apart. Flatten gently with a fork.
5. Bake 15 minutes, or until they lose their shine. Remove from the oven.
6. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
For a Change . . .
• To make Hazelnut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies, use hazelnut butter instead of peanut butter. You will also have to increase the teff flour to 2 cups and use 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
• If teff flour is not available, try another whole grain flour.
Spicy North African Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas
There are dozens of different basil varieties from which to choose. The delicate sweet-flavored “sacred basil” called for in this soup is commonly used in the cuisines of Africa, India, and the Far East. Although sacred basil is recommended in this recipe, you can use any basil variety.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
2 quarts water
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped unpeeled sweet potatoes
2 cups bite-sized cauliflower florets
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups coarsely chopped mustard greens
2 tablespoons dried sacred basil or other basil variety
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1. Bring the water, chickpeas, and cinnamon stick to boil in a 6-quart stockpot. Reduce the heat to medium-low,
cover, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cinnamon stick uncurls.
2. While the chickpeas simmer, heat the oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chili flakes,
onions, and carrots, and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to soften.
3. When the cinnamon stick uncurls, transfer the sautéed vegetables to the stockpot along with the sweet potatoes,
cauliflower, and turmeric. Simmer covered for 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and cauliflower are tender.
4. Add the mustard greens and continue to simmer 2 to 3 minutes, or until bright green. Stir in the basil and salt.
Adjust the seasonings, if desired.
5. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve.
Yams and collards combine with teff, herbs, and spices, creating a beautiful mosaic pattern in this robust grain loaf. Serve as a side dish or as a vegetarian main dish.
Makes: 8 slices Serving size: 1 slice
3 cups water
3 1/2 cups thinly sliced yams
1 cup teff
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped leeks
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 cups coarsely chopped collard greens
2 cups coarsely chopped basil
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1. Bring the water, yams, teff, and salt to boil in a 4-quart stockpot. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
2. While the teff mixture simmers, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, leeks, fennel, and cumin, and satué 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the collard greens and sauté about 3 minutes, or until bright green.
3. Transfer the collard mixture to the teff mixture, cover, and continue to simmer another few minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
4. Turn off the heat and stir the basil and cilantro into mixture. Adjust the seasonings, if desired.
5. Spoon the mixture into an 8-inch unoiled loaf pan, and let stand about 30 minutes, or until firm.
