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Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Sauteed Swiss Chard
page 113

Sadly, there is no picture for this dish either. I must have hit the "delete all" button on my camera before downloading. Sorry folks. You all know what sauteed greens look like, I imagine. These looked better! Ha!
I previously used to steam my greens before sauteeing. Turns out that's entirely unnecessary! Don't I feel dumb. I've wasted good time on this extra step over the years, but I swear that's what they taught us to do in the one cooking class I took at "Natural Gourmet Institute." But that was ages ago. Who knows what really happened?!
Just wash and chop your greens. Sautee some garlic and shallots in olive oil. Add greens and toss till they wilt. Voila! Your delicious and healthful side dish is served!!

Speaking of healthful, but on a totally different note: Is there anything more disgusting than garlic juice? Don't answer that, because I already know! I'm feeling under the weather again and my friend and co-worker Thad made me the following juice:
Beet, pear, kale, ginger, garlic.
I got through the day feeling pretty good, so I'm willing to concede that maybe this was a good idea. At least my tastebuds are compromised from my cold! It's worse than swallowing salt water while swimming in the ocean and only slightly better than being sick all week! Yuk!!

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Watercress, Jicama, and Corn Salad with Jalapeno Dressing

Sadly, this is the only picture you get to see of the delicious salad we made last Friday. We were 5 women and V. for dinner. Everyone was starving and I rushed to get the food on the table, and before I could think "blog" it was all gone. I did take a picture of my girls with the empty salad bowl, but when I went to download it today, there was a problem with the memory card and nothing remains. Oh well, you can take my word for it...it looked so colorful and tasted deeeelicious.
I substituted chopped apples for the corn, because I hate frozen corn unless it's in a curry or a soup.
Look at the vibrant color of the jalapeno dressing! It's great on steamed veggies too!
The recipe says it serves 6, but everyone wanted seconds, so we didn't have enough. Better than when people aren't touching the food, I suppose. We filled up on lasagna afterwards. And the other 5 had chocolate cupcakes.
I've decided to swear off sugar for January, because the candy consumption over the holidays was out of control. It's a hard thing for a pastry chef. But I'm determined to prove to myself that I can do it, and I'm still eating fruit in moderation, so it's not like I'm really depriving myself. It's amazing though, how much of my usual diet contains some form of sugar, maple syrup or agave, and breakfast has been the hardest thing to keep interesting. I bought some raw cacao and I'm mostly making shakes with banana, water and almond butter. If anyone has any other inspirations, please leave a comment!!
The salad is on page 43.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Spaghetti and Seitan Wheatballs with
Roasted Plum Tomato Sauce

Erica came down to New York City from Ottawa with her family this past week. They got caught in a snow storm on the way down, turning what should have been an 8-hour drive, into a tedious 11-hour voyage.
I had prepped the wheat balls and tomato sauce in the morning, so it was easy enough to delay the cooking process until their arrival. Funnily enough, none of the kids wanted to taste the wheat balls, because as Kea explained: "we've never eaten food shaped into a ball before." But the tomato sauce was well-received!
Among the adults, the reviews of the balls were mixed. The general complaint was that the texture was too soft. Perhaps I minced the seitan in the food processor for too long. I would definitely try to keep it a little chunkier in the future. The leeks and garlic made for good flavor, coupled with the relative simplicity of the sauce.

Cooking the Candle 79 Cookbook

Seitan Piccata and Braised Green Beans

Seitan Piccata is V's favorite dish at Candle 79. He never gets anything else. So when we had my parents and some friends over for dinner the other night he requested that it be the next thing I cook from the cookbook. I would have waited a few more months to make it, because frying things sort of scares me. And frying things in small batches and keeping them warm for 7 people, and then plating them before they get cold, scares me even more. It helped that my mother offered to help (while being so amazed by the seitan, which she had never seen before).

We did not make the seitan... I love Ray's Wheat Meat, which seems to be available at several health food stores around New York City, so it never seems worth the effort of starting from scratch. Someday though! Before this project is done!

I started by making the green beens - almonds add some texture and just a hint of flavor. Then I put them on a sheet pan in the oven, covered with foil, at 170 degrees (as low as my oven will go) to keep them warm, while we cooked the rest.

We made garlic mashed potatoes (boiled, then pureed in the food processor with soy milk, a little olive oil, salt and pepper).

My mom made the sauce. I breaded and fried the seitan. V. took pictures after we plated. Hooray for team work in the kitchen!  

I was the only vegetarian at the table and everyone completely cleaned their plates. It's a filling and fulfilling dish. Perfect for a cold winter evening with friends, family, and lots of red wine!

Recipes are on pages 89 and 111. 

I know. This not actually sharing the recipes is a little frustrating. But I can't copy the entire book for you. And so far 8 out of 8 recipes have been winners. That's a pretty great record if you're still looking for a good Christmas present! 

Oh, and in case you're wondering, this recipe is completely different from the piccata in the Candle Cafe Cookbook. I like this one a lot better.

Quinoa Chili

It was pure luck that I came across the cookbook called Feeding the Whole Family when my first child was born over a decade ago. It was the first time I'd come across such exotic grains as millet, quinoa and amaranth, and included step by step directions on how to cook them. I may have called it 'keen-wa' for the first few years, but I definitely developed a love affair with this grain from the moment I tried it! And this chili is a family favourite - all of the kids will devour it, it's easy to spice up with hot sauce after the fact, and such a nourishing meal to bring to new moms or sick families:-) And now that the cold weather has arrived, I find we're enjoying it about once a week - with garlic bread, tea biscuits, tortilla chips or on a bed of steamed kale, we love our chili!

Page 145.






Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

No, I won't torture you by not giving you the actual recipe - that would just be CRUEL!!!!

Red Bean and Quinoa Chili

1 cup dried kidney beans, soaked
1 tsp cumin
3 cups water

Drain soaking water off beans. Place beans in a large pot with cumin and water; bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, covered, until tender (50-60 minutes) or pressure-cook using 2 cups of water (45 minutes) OR.....for those who don't have a lot of time (me me me), buy one can of organic kidney beans.

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp sea salt
1 large green pepper, chopped (I often use red or orange, and add carrots or cauliflower here)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
2/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in warm water and drained
1 cup fresh or frozen corn (Ry is allergic, so I use peas instead)
1-2 cups organic tomato sauce
1 cup water

Heat oil in skillet on medium heat. Add onion, salt, garlic, pepper, and spices; saute for 5-10 minutes. Add rinsed quinoa and stir in. Add corn, tomato sauce, and water to onion/quinoa mixture. Simmer together 20 minutes. Add cooked beans to other ingredients; simmer another 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip Cookies for Every Occasion

We make chocolate chip cookies a lot. Everybody likes them, they're quick to make and you can endlessly vary the additions. For our holiday party I used dark chocolate chips, dried cranberries and walnuts.

Sometimes I substitute half the flour with hazelnut flour. Or I mix dark, milk and white chips. I think they need nuts to balance out the sweetness of the chocolate, but it's entirely up to you!!

The one thing that stays consistent is the texture, which is cakey with a little crunch around the edges.

Go crazy! Throw together a batch and enjoy...with tea, with coffee, for breakfast, as a midnight snack, as a way of telling your best friend you love her, to ease into telling your partner that, yes, you needed those $200 jeans, after your workout, before your workout, instead of a workout....seriously, they are perfect for every occasion!

Every Occasion Chocolate Chip Cookie

1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread (or other shortening)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

a pinch of salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 12oz. bag chocolate chips of your choice (or mix and match different kinds)

at least 1 cup toasted nuts of your choice

at least one cup dried cherries or cranberries (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Cream the Earth Balance with the two kinds of sugar and the vanilla. Whisk in one egg at a time.

Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chips and whatever other additions you are using.

Scoop teaspoon-sized mounds of batter onto your sheet pans. Space them well apart, because they will expand. 

Refrigerate each sheet pan for 10 minutes before baking. This will prevent them spreading out too thin in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until they start to turn golden around the edges.

They will keep in an airtight container for several days!