Altered Plates

As I've said many times, one of my favorite cookbooks is Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. My copy is well worn, especially on pages I've used to make Altered Plates versions of dishes. I've also started to write my alterations on the pages because the slips of paper with my notes sometimes slip out or I make additional changes later.

In the photo above, you can see the outcome of my tinkering with Isa's Fig Not-ins. In my youth, I ate my share of Fig Newtons. These were quite different from the dense cookie of my past. My agave-nectar sweetened cookies were light and fluffy, more cakey than cookie, but lovely.

Because my version uses agave nectar, I was very careful about not letting them brown too much. I'm going to continue to noodle with these a bit because I read on Isa's blog that you could use the dough to make Hamantaschen. My dough was way too wet for that, and I'd like to use coconut oil instead of the shortening to achieve a more butter-like result (however coconutty it may taste).

The cookies have a definite vanilla flavor, but the filling is king. The cherries add a great fruity flavor, while the figs and dates pull it down to earth. These cookies make an excellent light dessert for a big meal or a nice snack on their own.

The upskirt view (can you use that on other descriptions than pizza?) shows how light and cakey this bar cookie is.

Here's a really nice shot of the filling. I used organic Turkish figs and organic Medjool dates from the co-op combined with my favorite dark sweet cherries from Trader Joe's, and omitted the lemon zest. I also used considerably less sweetener overall because the fruit was sweet enough. The most important step here is the blending. I added this because the filling was way too chunky otherwise. As you can see from the photo, I didn't quite divide my dough evenly between the top and bottom, so you might want to do this better than I did (although it didn't affect how tasty these were at all).

Another cookie I used to enjoy as a kid was raisin bars. My mom would by these flat packages of cellophane wrapped bars with a wavy score between each cookie (making them about 3 in. long once separated from their brothers). I'd like to try to replicate those, and will work on that over the summer.

Here is the recipe as I made it, greatly inspired by the Fig Not-ins recipe on page 202 of Vegan with a Vengeance.

Cherry Fig Not-ins
Yield: 24 big cookies or 36 small cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried sweet cherries (unsweetened), chopped
1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
3/4 cup dried Turkish figs, chopped
1 cup filtered water
2 tablespoons agave nectar

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated margarine
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/4 cup almond milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir while you heat it to medium.
2. When it starts to bubble, turn off the heat and either use an immersion blender (my choice, but be careful!) or a regular blender to blend all the big chunks out of the mixture. Set the filling aside to cool.
3. With a mixer in a large bowl, whip the fats with the agave nectar for at least 3 minutes, until they are well combined.
4. Mix in the arrowroot, almond milk, and vanilla until well combined. It will look a bit curdle-y, but that's alright.
5. In a separate bowl or a large measuring cup, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until all are incorporated.
6. Add the dry ingredients to wet mixture to form a light dough.
7. With well-floured hands on a well-floured surface, form the dough into a ball and split it into two. Wrap each dough ball in plastic and let it rest and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
8. When the dough has cooled, take it out of the fridge and its wrapping, and flour a large piece of parchment paper, your hands, and your rolling pin. Take one of the dough halves and roll it until it is about 9 x 15 inches. You can leave this on the parchment paper because it will be your bottom layer. Place this layer on a cookie sheet (I used a pan with 1 in. sides just in case the filling oozed, which it didn't). Roll out your top layer the same way, but set it aside for a moment.
9. Spread the filling thickly, but evenly on top of the bottom layer in the pan.
10. Here's the tricky part, take your top layer, still on the parchment paper, and turn it paper side up on top of the filling layer. Then, gently peel the paper off the top layer.
11. With a pizza cutter, or a sharp, long knife, cut the cookies into the size bars you wish. Do not separate them now. It just makes them super-easy to cut once they are baked.
12. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. When the oven is at temperature, bake the cookies for approximately 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
13. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then using the edges of the parchment paper, lift the entire batch out of the pan and onto a wire rack to cool for an hour before cutting along the same lines you made earlier. Separate the cookies, then let them cool completely.
14. Enjoy!

07 April 2010

Summer Is Here (a bit too early for my liking)

With temperatures in the high 80s, you'll definitely want something cool and refreshing for dessert. Dipping back into my archives, I found just the thing from June 1, 2009, one of my favorite dishes of last year:

Book Review: Ani's Raw Food Desserts

From June 2009 photos

Is that food porny enough for you? You're practically inside this luscious, tropically flavored, raw, vegan dessert fresh from the pages of Ani's Raw Food Desserts. Her Pineapple Icebox Dessert is like a vegan pineapple cheese cake, but way better because the cream is made from cashews, agave nectar, and coconut oil. It's definitely the best cold, non-ice cream dessert I've had in a year.

It's just in time for summer and a perfect bring-along for a party. Although you'll need to pack it in lots of cold packs or ice inside a cooler because this really needs to be kept cold (otherwise it starts losing cohesiveness).

From June 2009 photos

An important thing to remember about this tasty raw dish is that you can serve small portions of it and still be the hit of the party. The Pineapple Icebox Dessert is rich from all the cashews and coconut oil, but the pineapple cuts right through it. While my friend John Leary and I dined on this delectable dessert, I thought aloud about making it with strawberries instead of pineapple. I'm sure it would be equally fantastic.

Just a note about the topping and crust -- I didn't think there was enough, especially in proportion to the pineapple cream. In the future, I'd make more of that and less of the cream. (Although I did double the recipe and put it into a large container rather than the loaf pan she recommends.)

My review comes after the recipe below.

From the book Ani’s Raw Food Desserts by Ani Phyo. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright © 2009. Find out more at www.dacapopresscookbooks.com.

Pineapple Icebox Dessert

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups cashews
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
2 tablespoons agave syrup

Filling:
1 1/2 cups cashews
1/3 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup liquid coconut oil
1/4 cup filtered water, as needed
2 1/2 cups chopped cored pineapple

Directions:
(In her format, not my usual numbered steps.)

To make the crust, combine the cashews and vanilla in the food processor and chop to a crushed wafer texture. Add the agave syrup and process to mix well. Sprinkle half of the crust onto the bottom of a loaf pan.

To make the filling, combine the cashews, agave syrup, and coconut oil in the high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding water as needed to create a creamy texture. Spoon the mixture into a mixing bowl, add the pineapple, and stir to mix well. Spoon the filling into the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining crust on top. Pat lightly. Freeze for 2 hours or until chilled.

Will keep for 4 to 6 days in the fridge or for several weeks in the freezer.

The Review

The minute I saw Ani's book, I felt that there was something familiar about it. It reminded me so much of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World that I had to do a side-by-side comparison. The two books are so similar that I looked to see if it was the same designer (it wasn't). Was Ani enamored by Isa and Terry's little book that could? Did they talk to each other about it, I wondered out loud. John (my John, not Leary above) wondered about the legal implications. [Update April 7, 2010, turns out they were published by the same group.]

I'm sure there's nothing nefarious about this lovely, little raw cookbook. It just greatly resembles VCTOTW in format and style. I just have to be careful about where I put this on the shelf -- especially when I'm looking to make cupcakes.

As far as the recipes go, many are very easily made and look fantastic. I'm going to try carob-ing up the Lavender Chocolate Bars because the photos are drool-worthy.

Overall, if you are in the habit of trying new desserts or want to further your foray into the raw food world, this is definitely the dessert cookbook for you. There are plenty of photos and loads of tips, so you won't get lost at all.

[Update April 7, 2010, I'm nearing the light at the end of the tunnel with my work from school. Expect a new recipe within the week!]

27 March 2010

Happy Passover

Hello friends! This entry originally ran on April 20, 2008. Hope you enjoy your festive holidays!

Yes, once again, it's time to remake Martha's macaroons. Since it's such a simple recipe, I started off with a plain version (well, not so plain, as I'll explain below) for 1/3 of the recipe, then I added chopped, unsweetened carob chips after I'd scooped out a pan and one half, and finally, I added 1/4 cup of carob powder to the remaining mixture. The resulting macaroons were moist, with a very special flavor, thanks to Fiore di Sicilia.

I tripled the recipe, but my substitutions below apply directly to the original measurements for your ease of use:

1. 2/3 cup of agave for the 3/4 cup of sugar
2. Organic lite unsweetened shredded coconut for the regular kind (it's much more finely shredded, too!)
3. Chopped, unsweetened carob chips for the chocolate
4. 1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia for the vanilla
5. I used a teaspoon-sized cookie scoop instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons of the mixture to make my macaroons. This way, they're truly bite sized.

The Fiori di Sicilia did magic things to the macaroons. It made the carob ones taste just like dark chocolate! It also gave the non-carob chip/powder variety a lovely orange flavor that you just can't get from orange zest.

These moist little clumps of coconut went over well at Passover last night. And, I'm bringing more to a party this afternoon. Tripling the recipe allows you about three days' worth of desserts to bring with you to seders. Best of all, this recipe is really a no-brainer and takes only the time to mix, bake, and cool. It's definitely one of my go-to Altered Plates.

Special tip: What the recipe doesn't tell you is that you should let the macaroons cool a bit on the baking sheet parchment paper prior to moving them to cooling racks. This way, you'll have less of a chance of crumpling the little guys.

For those celebrating, I wish you a meaningful and happy Passover!

20 March 2010

Spring Break and My Birthday

This past Monday marked another birthday for me as well as the beginning of spring break at school. Some friends on Facebook asked who was making my cake, and I had to say "no one" because 1. it was true, and 2. I hadn't planned on baking anything that day. However, I did enjoy a breakfast of pancakes (topped with agave nectar) with John. So, I had a little cake, as it were.

Since then, I've been splitting my semester break between homework and projects for school and enjoying the fabulous weather. Yesterday, Tanya and I ventured into NYC for a day on the town. We couldn't have asked for a sunnier spring-like day. We started at the Museum of Art and Design, where there was a truly remarkable cut paper exhibit (you must go see it, if you're in town).

One of the highlights of the trip was dining at Angelica Kitchen on fantastic vegan fare and sharing the best dessert I've had in ages. I confess that it was probably sweetened with maple syrup, but once in a while, I can splurge. It was an apple blueberry crumble pie that was perfect in every way. I'm going to try to duplicate their artistry at home using agave nectar carefully, because the best thing about this pie was that we could taste all of the flavors. It was sweetened very lightly, and spiced even more judiciously. It will take great restraint to recreate this delectable delight. But I'm up for the task.

In the meantime, you might note that my blogging will be a bit uneven. I begin volunteer work in the Plainfield Public Library's archives on Monday as well as work on a pretty intensive project in the Rutgers University archives later in the week -- in addition to my regular schedule of stuff. Oh, and then there's Passover, so no leaven-y baking for me from the end of March through the beginning of April.

All that to say, you may see some seasonally appropriate previously-posted items during the next 7 weeks (in addition to original material) while I endeavor to end the semester and graduate on a high note. Until then, enjoy spring!

10 March 2010

Best Vegan Carrot Cake Ever!

This recipe started out as a highly eggy one with buttermilk, but I did my magic with food chemistry and turned it into a truly tasty vegan delight. I topped it with a tweaked version of the BabyCakes Bakery cookbook vanilla frosting that was much more like coconut frosting because I used coconut milk instead of soymilk.

I'd made the cake to test it for future birthday cakes (especially mine, next week!), and brought it to a big party to try it out on my friends. They loved it, rushing the table for it as soon as I unveiled the thing. Prior to bringing the cake to the party, my friend Rosie and I tried two small pieces. We nearly kept the cake to ourselves, it was that good.

The cake is super-moist and spiced delightfully. The house smelled like a combination of cardamom and gingerbread for two days! I prefer currants over raisins because they don't interfere with the flavor of the cake (like raisins sometimes can). It's definitely not low calorie, but high in good fats and fiber. This will definitely be the one I bake for Mom's birthday in August. She's going to LOVE it.

Caveat about the frosting -- because it gets a bit melty at room temperature, prior to serving the cake, chill it for about 10 minutes to keep it firm without drying out the cake. The coconut frosting is an ideal match for this carrot cake because it's creamy and light, while the cake is spiced up about 3 notches.

Overall, the cake doesn't take long to make, but the frosting needs time to firm up. I actually had to run it through the food processor again before frosting the cake, so it had a whipped texture rather than a smooth one. It really reminded me of the coconut milk ice cream I've been having lately, without being overly sweet.

Because I hadn't made one in a while, I made a short movie of the making of the frosting and the cake (below). Go easy on me, I'm a bit out of practice. ;D Following the movie is the recipe. The recipe for the frosting is here, but watch the movie first for my alterations.

Best Carrot Cake Ever!
Yields two 8-in. rounds of cakey goodness.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons flaxmeal
4 tablespoons water
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup coconut flour (sifted)
2 teaspoons baking powder (sifted)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 generous teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon sea salt
2/3 cup olive oil
1 1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup currants
1 cup walnuts (chopped, or as I do it, beaten with a mallet)
6 cups coarsely grated carrots

Instructions:
1. Mix the flaxmeal with the water in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients until well incorporated.
3. Combine all the wet ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 passes, until just moistened.
5. Fold in the currants and walnuts.
6. Fold in the carrots until they are well distributed in the batter.
7. Generously oil (Smart Balance buttery spread does really well here) and flour the pans and preheat the oven to 335 degrees F.
8. Split the batter between the two pans and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until a bamboo tester comes out clean.
9. Let cool for 1 hour in the pans, then turn out the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.
10. Frost the cakes and show 'em off before enjoying!

28 February 2010

Purim!

Back in May 2007, when the Holiday post beow originally ran, this blog was new to the world and I was new to making Hamantaschen with agave nectar. What I learned was that too much coconut flour (used as a way of dealing with too much liquid in a recipe) can make a dough go very stiff. But when life hands me challenges like the one shown in the little movies below, I just make star cookies.

Note to vegans: While looking into veganizing this recipe, I found a very helpful posting at the Post Punk Kitchen that says you can use the dough for their Fig Not-Ins (from Vegan With a Vengeance) as a base instead. However, that uses regular sugar instead of agave nectar. It will require some food science to nail this one down, but I'm up for the challenge! It just might take place after graduation in May.

(By the way, whenever I see these old videos, I laugh at two things -- my wacky presentation style and my old kitchen. I really need to film the next Altered Plates blog post and bring my filmmaking into the next decade!)

Here's hoping you have a wonderful holiday and enjoy this original post from May 28, 2007:

The Hamantaschen That Became Stars

Here's a 15-minute short film in three parts on my experience re-doing hamantaschen from the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. The dough didn't turn out to be pliable to fold into the traditional shapes, so I made cut cookies instead. Regardless, they were a huge hit.

25 February 2010

Rerun for Sanity's Sake

One year and some change after posting the original message below, there remains a shameful amount of misinformation about agave nectar on the Internet. While that doesn't surprise me, it does get under my skin now and then. Because I use Google alerts on terms containing "agave nectar" and "agave syrup," I have been able to track the number and type of mentions of the topic (at least as far as Google searches will allow; there are many other resources that are not spidered by Google, but the alerts demonstrate my point clearly enough).

Recently, I've seen more misinformed blog postings than usual, so I thought I'd do a public service and run this piece yet again. I sincerely hope that it clears up misconceptions because that was its original intent.

The original post and its comments is available here.

07 December 2008

Madhava's Craig Gerbore Responds to Agave Nectar Controversy Here

For the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of corresponding with Madhava Agave Nectar's President, Craig Gerbore. Unfortunately, our conversations came about because there are a number of articles out on the 'net that are factually untrue. I contacted the company in order to find out 1. if Madhava was crafting a response to the rumors, and 2. exactly what is true/untrue. I'm very glad I did because Mr. Gerbore contacted me himself and provided me with a hefty bit of information which clears up much of the mess.

The whole thing is a bit (ehem, pardon the pun), sticky. If I link to the original, highly controversial and factually incorrect article published at NaturalNews.com, I feel that I'd be promoting the circulation of the errant piece. However, in order for you, my kind and lovely readers, to truly understand how this discussion came about, you should see the article that spawned this action. So, open up a new window when you click on this link, so you can compare Mr. Gerbore's response below with the original. It's eye-opening, to say the least.

One last thing before I share Mr. Gerbore's response. As a journalist and a professional editor who has worked for some top publications in their fields, I'm pretty disgusted with the NaturalNews's editor for even publishing such a patently one-sided story. Truly yellow journalism at its smarmiest.

That said, here is Mr. Gerbore's response completely unedited by me:

Agave Nectar: Hold on now…
Response to Rami Nagel’s article
By Craig Gerbore, President of Madhava

In response, I must first point out that Mr. Nagel’s article is based on the view of a sole individual, Russ Bianchi. I suppose we should thank Mr. Bianchi for pointing out some issues that may have contributed to Iidea’s (the initial manufacturer of blue agave nectar) demise from the market, however I want to be clear, this is not about Madhava or our agave nectar. Once a dominant supplier, as of this past summer Iidea is no longer a major supplier in the agave syrup business. The distributors using them as a supplier have quietly switched to newly formed blue agave companies for their supply. Madhava has always worked exclusively with Nekutli, the producer of agave nectar from the agave salmiana, a very different species of the agave.

However, there is no mention of our agave nectar from salmiana in the article, nor of the differences in the plant, the collection and production of our product. So, the author has blurred the line with his all encompassing attack on blue agave nectar, by his failure to present complete information on the subject of agave nectars. For what purpose was this article written? If it were to educate the public, I think it would include all the information available. With the errors and misstatements and half-truths, I don’t think this article is about education, it is an all out shotgun attack.

I believe Mr. Bianchi, presented as the sole authority on agave nectar, was initially introduced to Iidea’s blue agave syrup product on their entry to the market in the late 90’s. At that time, Iidea was promoting a 90% fructose agave syrup. This is what I believe Mr. Bianchi is referring to. Unfortunately, he ignores the fact that this is not the agave sold on the market today, nor is it representative of Madhava’s product. In fact Mr. Bianchi has never even acknowledged the existence of our agave nectar from the salmiana variety. So, all his comments are apparently based on his experience with Iidea’s product, but I find ourselves caught in the blast.

In their zestful attack against the blue agave syrup he was introduced to initially, Mr.’s Bianchi and Nagel have also made inaccurate comments which reflect on agave nectar generally. As such, I take issue with several of their statements and claims and want to clarify some things as regards Madhava’s Agave Nectar from agave salmiana.

Their discussion of the processing of agave nectar is in no way reflective of how Madhava’s agave nectar is produced. There are three ways to convert complex sugars into a simple sugar sweetener such as agave syrup. It can be done thermally, chemically, or enzymatically as ours is. There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production of Madhava’s agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice.

The author states “The principal constituent of the agave is starch, such as what is found in corn or rice.”

This statement, which is the foundation of much of their argument comparing agave nectar to corn syrup, has no basis in scientific fact, THERE IS NO STARCH IN THE AGAVE.

How can the author and his source be so mistaken on this statement on which he bases his attack?

All plants store energy in one of two ways, as starches or fructans. All agave plants create fructans as their energy storing means.

So, agave plants have fructans, not starch. From Wikipedia: Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of fibers know as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and it typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants which synthesize and store inulin do not store other materials such as starch.

There is no starch in either species of agave, and agave nectar is not from starch as the author and Mr. Bianchi claim. They have tried very hard to propagandize the public with a false fact, either by design, or ignorance, for which there would be no excuse.

Such an error of fact certainly casts doubt on the validity of the rest of Nagel’s article, as the lack of depth of his research has to be apparent to all. Really, he is just regurgitating the singular views of Mr. Bianchi.

I personally spoke with the author during his “research”, as did at least one other in the industry. He chose not to include one word of the information given to him by us, which I will repeat below, and failed to make any distinction between Madhava’s Nekutli agave nectar from salmiana and that from the blue agave plant. He only mentions blue agave. The plants differ, the locations differ, the methods and production differ greatly. The information we gave him did not fit his purpose and so was omitted in favor of a generalized attack.

Madhava’s source is exclusively agave salmiana. If you haven’t already reviewed our site at www.madhavasagave.com , you will find background information there. Briefly though, the native people supplying the juice collect it from the live plant, by hand, twice daily. There is no heat involved in the removal. The juice is immediately brought to the facility to remove the excess water as it will ferment rapidly if left standing. It is during the removal of the moisture that the only heat is applied. The juice is evaporated and moisture removed in a vacuum evaporator. The vacuum enables the moisture to be withdrawn at low temperatures. The temp is closely controlled. Subsequently, our agave is handled and packaged at room temperatures. No other heat is applied. And, rather than convert the complex sugars of the juice thermally, we use gentle enzymatic action. Just as a bee introduces an enzyme to flower nectar to make honey, we introduce an natural organic vegan enzyme for the same purpose. The technical term for the conversion of complex sugars into their simple sugar components is hydrolysis. Inulin is a fructan which is hydrolyzed into the simple sugars composing agave nectar, fructose and glucose. Honey is composed of the same simple sugars.

The blue agave plant is harvested and the blue agave nectar is produced by a completely different method. I will have to leave it to the blue agave nectar sellers to comment on the production themselves. While I know of it, I have not witnessed it as I have Nekutli’s. Unlike the author, I won’t comment publicly on something I cannot verify.

To clarify further on another claim, “Agave Nectar as a final product is mostly chemically refined fructose”. As regards Madhava’s agave nectar, there are no chemicals involved in our production whatsoever. The sugars in our agave nectar come from the breakdown of the inulin molecule through the introduction of the enzyme to break apart that molecule. It is in no way chemically refined, there are no chemicals involved in any part of the production or packaging process. Our agave nectar is refined only in as much as the excess moisture is removed from the juice of the plant.

“HFCS is made with GM enzymes”. Bianchi’s states “they (agave and corn syrup) are indeed made the same way” This is another false assertion as regards Madhava’s agave nectar at least. Our agave nectar is certainly and clearly not made the same way as corn syrup. There is no starch in our agave. There are no chemicals, no refinement beyond the evaporation of water. And, there are no GMO’s whatsoever. The agave salmiana has never been subject to this and the enzyme is a natural, non GM organic, vegan enzyme.

Other points regarding fructose apply to sugars in general and are a consumption, or overconsumption issue. Certainly consuming large amounts of sweeteners of any kind will be detrimental to one’s health. Suggesting fructose could cause health issues when concentrated amounts are eaten is a statement which should really apply to the overconsumption issue. The information the author links to agave nectar is the result of megadose testing of pure clinical fructose. Not the same thing as normal daily use of agave nectar in the course of our meals.

The antisweetener advocates just have to admit that it is the overconsumption of sugars that is the problem. Used in moderation, sugars serve a purpose, to make other foods and beverages more palatable. Imagine a world without sweeteners if you can. Affinity for sweet taste is a human trait that most want to satisfy. For those who use sweeteners, there are limited choices available and many choose agave for its particular attributes. It is a good choice. Madhava Agave’s neutral flavor suits the purpose. It is in fact low glycemic, organically certified and non allergenic. Many with diabetes and other special diets find it suitable for their use where other sweeteners are not. It’s easy to use and you can use less.

And, we guarantee the purity of our product. Attached is a letter from the CEO of Nekutli stating this guarantee that Nekutli agave syrup is pure and unadulterated, from the natural juice of agave salmiana.

While it remains up to the individual to maintain balance in their diet and monitor their overall consumption of sweets, Nekutli/Madhava’s Agave Nectar does have advantages over other sweeteners and that is why it has become so popular and
received so much attention today.

I think the information I have brought to light here clearly contradicts the claims contained in Rami Nagel’s article. Thank you for your consideration.

I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the clarification of this issue because I regularly use agave nectar, especially the Madhava brand. It's good to know a company president who not only stands behind his product, but who has the class to respond directly to a question from a customer.

Your thoughts?

19 February 2010

Veganomicon's Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Pecan Streusel

For fans of the Veganomicon or for folks who haven't yet purchased this wonderful collection of tasty vegan recipes, I recommend the easy-to-make Pumpkin Crumb Cake with Pecan Streusel. I wish I'd made more of the streusel because it was definitely the best part. In fact, I'm planning on making a bundt cake using it as a center swirl.

Above is a close up of the yummy topping.

Because I didn't make that many changes to the original recipe, I can't post it here. However, I will post my alterations below. Again, I highly recommend purchasing the Veganomicon for its diverse recipe collection, its very tasty dishes, and its handy guides and useful information along the way.

My changes:

1. Substituted agave nectar for the brown sugar in the streusel.
2. Added 2 tablespoons of barley flour to the streusel.
3. Used vanilla unsweetened almond milk instead of the soy milk in the cake.
4. Cut the oil in the cake to 2/3 cup.
5. Used 1 cup of agave nectar instead of the 1 1/2 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons molasses (it was definitely sweet enough) in the cake.
6. Used 2 1/3 cup pastry flour and 1/3 cup coconut flour for the all-purpose flour in the cake.
7. Baked it for 40 minutes at 325 degrees F.

Overall, the texture was quite moist from the pumpkin. I would probably substitute the spices for 5-spice powder the next time I make this. I also would double the amount of streusel and swirl some of it into the batter before topping it.

14 February 2010

Why We Don't Celebrate Valentine's Day

1. Every day is "Valentine's Day" to John and me.
2. Number 1 is enough.

We have so many reasons to celebrate every day. We are incredibly fortunate individuals. My cup runs over when I think about it (and when I don't).

I could list the multitude of reasons why I regularly wake up feeling very grateful, but it would get too personal for this blog, whose overarching purpose is to introduce new ways of using agave nectar instead of other sweeteners in baking and cooking.

So, instead I'll invite you to leave your gratitude lists in the comments section. I look forward to your notes.

09 February 2010

Vegan Pear-Cranberry Crisp

A few weeks ago, my friends Bo, Rosie, and Tony visited for a celebration of vegan flavors. Now, understand that these folks are not vegan, nor am I, but I wanted to introduce some omnivores to the tastier and healthier dishes that can be found in the strict vegetarian diet. Tony was the most impressed with the massive spread and the dishes that kept emerging from the kitchen. He thought of going vegan right then!

Rosie and Bo were tougher sells, but this Pear-Cranberry Crisp sealed the deal. They enjoyed the granola-y texture and the fruity flavors. They also liked the ginger zip and the overall vanilla taste. It's the perfect warm dessert for a frosty evening (which tends to be the case in February), plus it lets me use up some of the thousand cranberries I froze back in the fall.

The recipe below is inspired by one of the same name found in the sadly out of print The Angelica Home Kitchen from the restaurant Angelica Kitchen down on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I also made the incredible Walnut-Lentil Pate as well as the Miso-Tahini Spread, which went over very well. (I'll be making the pate again for my mom and Dave's famous Flowers In February party to celebrate their gorgeous orchids blooming.)

Above is another shot of the still-warm crisp topped with 3 small scoops of Vanilla Bean flavor Purely Decadent Coconut Milk frozen dessert. It was heavenly, to say the least. The scant leftovers were fantastic for breakfast the next morning.

Tip: Quick way to chop pecans is not to chop them at all, but to seal them in a plastic bag (or roll 'em up in a towel) and hit them with a mallet.

Pear-Cranberry Crisp
Serves 8

Ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1 cup chopped pecans (I pummeled mine with a mallet instead of dirtying a knife.)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil of your choice (I used grapeseed oil.)
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla

6 firm pears, cored and cut into 1/2 in. sized pieces.
1 cup cranberries (I used frozen that I'd bought fresh and quick frozen back in November.)
2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
1/2 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger (the more finely grated the better)
pinch of salt

Directions:
1. Mix the flours, pecans, almonds, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, agave nectar and vanilla (from the top section of ingredients) until well incorporated.
3. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and stir until crumbly. This is your topping. Cover and refrigerate until the next two steps are done.
4. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
5. Lightly oil a 9 x 9 in. baking dish and pour the fruit mixture into the dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes.
6. Take the dish out of the oven briefly, then sprinkle the crumble on top of the baked fruit. Cover again, making sure the foil does not touch the crumble, and bake again for 20 minutes.
7. Uncover the dish and bake until the topping is golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.
8. Serve warm.

01 February 2010

The Best Granola Ever (really!)

If it seems like a carpet of granola, it is. It's a delightfully large amount of tasty, crunchy, and all-kinds-of-good-for-you stuff (and I say stuff because it's equally at home in a bowl of non-dairy milk and in a container for snacks on the trail or car).

This is yet another of my recipes published in Dave Grotto's 101 Optimal Life Foods that I'm spotlighting (at least until I've shared all the new recipes). I was a bit ingredient-ly challenged when I put this batch together, so in the recipe below I'll show my minor changes in bold.

What makes this the best ever? Well, for one, all the warming spices. Here, I've used cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cardamom to really zip up this granola. There also is a great variety of chewy dried fruit, seeds and nuts for richness, and barley flour for crunchy bits. Dave Grotto recommends it for improved skin (nuts and flax); circulation (nuts, oats, cranberries, and cherries); nerve pain (nuts); stress and anxiety (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and almonds); erectile dysfunction (go figure!) (nuts, seeds, coconut, oats, and barley); benign prostatic hyperplasia (barley, pepitas, and flax); and many other ailments explained in his new book.

In this slightly altered version, I have more dried cranberries and carob chips instead of dried plums. I love how the tartness of the berries sets off the rich nuts and seeds. Just be careful to have small servings because there is a lot of fat in this granola.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the format of the recipe as printed in Dave's new book is different than that of my Altered Plates postings (down to the use of the term agave syrup instead of agave nectar). Also, I never turn the oven on until everything is ready to be baked because my oven only takes a few minutes to come to temperature. However, I respect integrity, so below is the recipe straight from 101 Optimal Life Foods by David Grotto, RD, LDN Copyright © 2009 by David Grotto. The recipe is excerpted from the original book by permission of Bantam, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cherry-Chai Spice Granola
Servings: 30

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup barley flour
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened dried coconut (as finely shredded as possible)
3/4 cup chopped almonds (I used walnuts)
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds, ground
3/4 cup sunflower seeds (I only had 1/4 cup)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or pepitas (I only had 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup agave syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Post-baking add-ins:
3/4 cup apple juice-sweetened cranberries (I used 1 cup)
3/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries (I didn't have any cherries, so I used 1/2 cup dried gogi berries)
3/4 cup chopped pitted dried plums (I used the same amount of unsweetened carob chips)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
     In your largest bowl, combine the first fourteen ingredients (all the ingredients up until the oil). Ensure that there aren't any flour pockets.
     In a much smaller bowl, blend the three wet ingredients until well incorporated.
     Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until all the dry ingredients have been coated. Spread the mixture equally onto the prepared baking sheets. Wash and dry the bowl and set aside.
     Bake for 15 minutes, then take the sheets out of the oven, stir the granola, and switch the positions of the sheets (the top one goes on the middle rack and vice versa). Bake the granola for another 15 minutes. Stir once more, then bake until uniformly lightly browned. It won't take more than another 15 minutes -- keep an eye on it, or you may burn it. If you like a chunkier granola, stir it less.
     During the final baking, combine the add-ins in your largest bowl. When the granola is done baking, immediately slide it off the pans on top of the add-ins in the bowl and stir well. Spread the mixture into the pans and let the pans cool on top of wire racks for at least 2 hours before transferring the granola to air-tight containers.

Nutritional Profile:
240 calories, 13 g total fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 20 mg sodium, 27 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein.

25 January 2010

Vegan Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

Oooh these are rich and tasty. If you have a penchant for hazelnuts, these treats from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar are definitely up your alley. Like all the others I've tried in this small, but wonderful book, these cookies are a snap to make and easy to alter.

I've made lots of different vegan and ovo-lacto thumbprints over the years, but the more I make them, the more partial I am to the vegan variety. While I'm not a huge fan of hazelnuts (much bigger fan of pistachios and pecans), I really enjoyed the buttery, distinctively nutty flavor of these cookies.

Recently, a friend and I made these using agave nectar rather than the brown sugar called for in the original recipe (on page. 198). We also used an orange apricot Trader Joe's fruit spread instead of the raspberry jam. My friend and I agreed that the spread made the cookies. They completely set off the richness while adding a citrus zip. I suppose they would do equally well with an orange or other citrus marmalade.

Because we didn't do much different from the original recipe, I really can't reprint it here. Instead, I'll tell you what we differently:
1. We used agave nectar for the brown sugar.
2. We made our own hazelnut butter by grinding up hazelnuts in the food processor with a small amount of canola oil.
3. We used orange apricot fruit spread for the raspberry jam.
4. We dropped the oven temperature by 25 degrees F.

All that to say, if you don't already have VCIYCJ, you should definitely invest the ~$12 to get it. It's not a lot to pay for loads of great recipes to turn to again and again.

17 January 2010

Zucchini-Cranberry Muffins

I've spent a lot of time among zucchinis and cranberries in the past year, seeking to develop a tasty, healthy, vegan muffin that would do justice to this pairing. I think I finally discovered the secret ingredients: barley flour and whipped avocado. Previously, I used olive oil as the only fat, but now I am a true believer in the power of avocado as a butter substitute. Which is not to say that I won't use olive oil in some recipes, but for now, avocado is a dear friend in my baking efforts. And, barley flour? Well, barley, according to Dave Grotto, is good for circulation, digestive issues, insomnia, leg cramps, and migraines.

Dave, by the way, just came out with a new book, 101 Optimal Life Foods. I've been giving some extra attention to the book here because several of my recipes are featured in it. I've also experienced the results of eating optimal life foods since I became a vegetarian 20 years ago.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the format of the recipe as printed in Dave's new book is different than that of my Altered Plates postings (down to the use of the term agave syrup instead of agave nectar). Also, I never turn the oven on until everything is ready to be baked because my oven only takes a few minutes to come to temperature. However, I respect integrity, so below is the recipe straight from 101 Optimal Life Foods by David Grotto, RD, LDN Copyright © 2009 by David Grotto. The recipe is excerpted from the original book by permission of Bantam, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Zucchini-Cranberry Muffins
Servings: 12

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup barley flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2/3 cup agave syrup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup whipped avocado (easily done in a blender or with an immersion blender)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fiori di Sicilia extract (optional)
1 1/3 cups grated zucchini (leave the skin on for lovely green bits)
1/2 cup frozen or fresh cranberries

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two muffin pans [if you have 6-cup pans] with nice paper liners.
     Sift together the dry ingredients (except the walnuts) into a large bowl with a lip or into a very large measuring cup. Fold in the walnuts, making sure to mix them in well. They also help to better distribute all the dry ingredients.
     In a separate large bowl, whisk together the agave syrup, olive oil, avocado, vanilla, and fiori di Sicilia, if desired, until well blended. Ensure that there are no lumps of avocado. With a big spoon or silicone spatula, mix in the zucchini. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just blended. Fold in the cranberries for about 1 minute.
   Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin liners. The muffins will rise a little, so make sure not to overfill the liners. Bake for 12 minutes, then rotate the pans and bake for another 12 minutes, or until a bamboo tester comes out clean. The tops should be golden brown.
     Let the muffins rest in their pans for 10 minutes, no more. Then remove them from the pans to cool completely on wire racks. Break 'em open and enjoy!

Nutrition Profile
190 calories, 7 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 190 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein.

15 January 2010

The Agave Police, Yet Again

Once again, agave nectar is getting a bad rap out on the blogs. Since I can only speak from my own experience, that is what I shall do (yet again). It's up to you, my fine friends, to decide what you wish to put in your body. Because, after all, we are what we eat.

Unlike other sweeteners I have experienced, agave nectar does not affect me in a negative way. I do not become flushed, nor does my blood sugar spike, then plummet. For me, agave nectar is the only sweetener I can tolerate in reasonable, moderate to small amounts (which is all we need anyway). Because I'm so sensitive to sugars, I have discovered through painful trial and error that if I want sweets, I can eat sweets with agave nectar. However, I am conscious of the serving size and don't eat foods with agave nectar every day (sometimes, not for weeks).

Like any food that is calorie-laden, it's important to watch the number and size of servings. So, all that to say, do your own research, read up on agave nectar, and make your own decisions. In the meantime, I'll still be baking and cooking with it, and sharing my recipes here with those who wish to read them.

13 January 2010

Beanie-Greenie Brownies

Yep, this is another recipe for brownies with beans, but my newest version is extra-special. I've cut the bad fats dramatically by using whipped fresh avocado as the primary fat. Avocado does wonderful things for brownies (as well as your skin and heart). First, it makes brownies rich in the most wonderful way. Second, they are fudgy in exactly the way you would expect chocolate fudge brownies to be, except that they are carob. Best of all, avocados are so nutritionally dense, we should be eating them more often, and what better way than with a brownie! (If you ignored the above link, you might re-think it and visit the California Avocado Commission for more info.)

See? Super-fudgy.

These special brownies are another work of mine that Dave Grotto published within his 101 Optimal Life Foods.

While my brownies are carob, you could easily make these chocolate. Admittedly, I couldn't resist tinkering. Even though this recipe is well-tested by both me and Dave's test kitchens, I still had to tinker with it. I used 1/2 cup less agave nectar than I used originally and still found the brownies to be sweet enough for me. Your mileage may vary.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the format of the recipe as printed in Dave's new book is different than that of my Altered Plates postings (down to the use of the term agave syrup instead of agave nectar). However, I respect integrity, so below is the recipe straight from 101 Optimal Life Foods by David Grotto, RD, LDN Copyright © 2009 by David Grotto. The recipe is excerpted from the original book by permission of Bantam, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

To indicate any alterations I made, I'll include them in bolded font.

Greenie-Beanie Brownies
Servings: 48

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened carob chips
3 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread, plus more for the pan
1/4 cup tahini
1 cup whipped avocado (easily done in a blender or with an immersion blender)
3/4 cup pureed cooked beans (I used cannelini because they have such a creamy flavor.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup oat flour (or coconut flour)
1 cup carob powder
2 cups agave syrup (I used 1 1/2 cups agave nectar.)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. (I waited until the batter was in the baking dish prior to preheating the oven.) Using Earth Balance buttery spread, generously grease a 13 x 9-inch pan.
   Mix together the carob chips, Earth Balance, and tahini in a large heatproof bowl. Bring a medium saucepan filled halfway with water to a boil. Turn off the heat and place the bowl with the carob mixture over the hot water. Whisk the melting carob mixture until smooth.
     Transfer the carob mixture to a stand-mixture bowl, and whisk in the avocado until incorporated. Whisk in the pureed beans until incorporated.
     In a separate bowl or very large measuring cup, sift together the dry ingredients; mix thoroughly with a fork until all the dry ingredients are combined.
     In a large measuring cup, combine the agave syrup with the vanilla.
   On the mixer, switch to the paddle attachment. Alternate adding 1/2 cup at a time of the dry and agave mixtures to the batter. When the batter has been mixed well, fold in the walnuts. Let the batter rest until the oven has reached temperature.
     When the oven has reached temperature, spread the batter into the prepared pan, making sure to get it in all the corners. It will be pretty thick. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a tester reveals a few moist crumbs. Let the brownies cool completely on a rack (at least 2 hours) before cutting into 48 pieces.

Nutritional Profile
110 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 20 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 2 g protein.

06 January 2010

Shameless Self Promotion 101 (and Vegan Spicy Biscotti)

Early last year, I was approached by Dave Grotto for some healthy recipes to include in his newly published book 101 Optimal Life Foods. Because I think what Dave is doing is great, I told him that I'd be happy to contribute a few recipes.

So, it was a very pleasant surprise when a few weeks before Christmas, I received a copy of the new book in the mail. I opened it to discover that it was divided into sections. Each section discussed common ailments and which foods could be used to address them and why. At the end of each section was a diet plan based on the recipes in the back of the book. The five recipes I provided were included in many of the plans. One in particular is this recipe for Spicy Biscotti.

These crunchy, dipping cookies are spiced with loads (I'm not kidding when I say "loads") of cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. In short, they are Chi-warming, to say the least. Their nutty flavor is enhanced by almond meal as well as crunchy almonds. I really enjoy them with hot tea because they stay crunchy. You also could serve them with frozen desserts (especially some rich and decadent homemade non-dairy vanilla cream).

Just a baking note: when I made the batch I photographed above, I forgot to pat down the loaves prior to baking. As a result, I got some cracked tops. If you follow the directions, your cookies will look better than mine. Otherwise, the only thing I didn't do according to the directions was preheat the oven at the beginning. I never do this because my new oven only takes 7 minutes to heat to temperature, so I begin preheating when the dough is on the baking sheets. Also, I turned the oven off between the bakings for the same reason. Your oven may be different, so heat as you see fit.

Also, the baking time is very, very long because you want these cookies to be crunchy. The thinner you slice them, the shorter the baking time (and the more fragile the cookies). But thinner makes them delightfully crispy.

Here is the recipe straight from 101 Optimal Life Foods by David Grotto, RD, LDN Copyright © 2009 by David Grotto. This recipe is excerpted from the original book by permission of Bantam, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

(By the way, this recipe does not follow my traditional Altered Plates format, however, I think it's important to observe the integrity of the original published in Dave's book. Therefore, if you notice a difference, that's why. Also, I used coconut flour for the barley flour, but either one is fine.)

Spicy Biscotti
Servings: 18 (2 cookies per serving -- 1 cookie just isn't fair!)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons flaxseeds, ground
1/4 cup water
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup barley flour (the original recipe called for coconut flour -- go for it if you can find it!)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 cup almond meal
2/3 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
     In a small bowl, combine the ground flaxseeds and the water, mixing well. Set aside.
     In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, and spices. Mix in the almond meal until well incorporated.
     In a medium bowl, beat together the agave syrup, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients (including the flaxseed mixture) to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Fold in the almonds. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
     Divide the dough in half. On a well-floured surface, shape each half into a log. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet. There should be at least 3 inches between the logs. Lightly wet your hands with water and pat down the top of each log so that it is flattened a little.
     Bake the logs for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Take the pan out of the oven and let the logs cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. (Tip: Slide the entire thing, logs and parchment paper, onto the rack to cool.)
     Transfer the logs one at a time to a cutting board and slice the logs into 1/4-inch slices. Transfer the slices back to the baking sheet, relined with the same parchment paper, and bake them for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. You want these to be crunchy, so don't be afraid if they darken a little. Just don't burn them.
     Transfer the cookies and the parchment paper to a wire rack and let the cookies cool completely before serving.

Nutritional Profile
130 calories, 5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 19 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 3 g protein

23 December 2009

A Whole Different Kettle of Cranberries

As you can tell from my recent posts, I'm a bit up to my knees in cranberries. I love the tart snap of a fresh cranberry. When they pop, bursting their juices in these muffins, they add the most refreshing color to these oat-bran-heavy breakfast goodies.

This is another big alteration of an original recipe from the great new cookbook from the Moosewood folks, Cooking for Health. I'd almost begun reviewing the book again when I remembered that I already had on yet another cranberry-heavy recipe! My version of Moosewood's "Apple Muffins with Oat Bran and Dates" is vegan, and substitutes agave nectar for molasses, apricots for dates, and cranberries for the apples. I've also added in a little fat in the form of 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil.

In my baking career, I've made a few cholesterol fighters in my time, but I think these will become part of my daily diet. Between all the oat bran, flaxmeal, and walnuts in these muffins, my numbers will be decreasing in no time. Overall, these oat-y, cranberry muffins go a long way toward making healthy taste good.

Here's the recipe as I made it.

Cranberry Oat Bran Muffins (Greatly inspired by "Apple Muffins with Oat Bran and Dates" on page 52 of The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking For Health.)
Yield: 12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy or coconut milk yogurt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons flax meal
3/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 cup oat bran
1/4 rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Baking Spice by Pensey's
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, vinegar, flax meal, apricots, vanilla, agave nectar, and oil until well combined.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat bran, oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
3. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are coated with the wet.
4. Fold in the cranberries and the walnuts.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your muffin pan with paper liners.
6. Fill each liner to the top edge with the muffin batter. These won't puff up much at all, so don't worry about these being over filled.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a bamboo tester comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then tip out the muffins and let them cool completely on a wire rack. Freeze any that will not be eaten in the next 3 days.
9. Enjoy!

17 December 2009

Making Over Martha: Cranberry Tangerine Muffins

Catching up a bit from recent baking (and scholarly) triumphs, here is my latest Making-Over-Martha moment. The original recipe was called "Clementine-Vanilla Bean Quick Bread," from the November issue of Martha Stewart Living. I wanted to noodle around with this recipe for several reasons:
1. I still have a few pounds of cranberries I froze right after Thanksgiving.
2. The recipe seemed "bendable" enough for me to be able to do some alterations with it.
3. I had several tangerines in the fridge that needed to be eaten.