Classic New Orleans Beignets; Milk Free

The first time Hubby and I visited New Orleans we fell in love (as most do) with the deep fried pillows of dough called beignets. This delectable doughnut is French in origin and very popular in the Creole cuisine of New Orleans. Although beignets can be found throughout New Orleans, Cafe du Monde in Jackson Square is famous for their beignets, which are covered in a mountain of powdered sugar. Mmmmm. On our last visit to NOLA we were turned on to the delightful pillows of dough served at Cafe Beignet on Royal St, not to be missed if you're a beignet fan! I daydream about resting my head on a puffy pillow of dough and falling peacefully into a sugar coma.

Needless to say, as Mardi Gras (Carnivale) season is in full swing and Fat Tuesday is just around the corner, my thoughts have been wandering the streets of the French Quarter.  Thankfully, with my yeast bread resolution this year, I have the perfect excuse to make some fresh hot beignets at home!

Since many of the recipes out there call for milk, butter and/or buttermilk, I turned to a recipe by Country Cleaver  http://www.countrycleaver.com/2014/01/raspberry-beignets.html which calls only for water. I was a little apprehensive since she readily admits that she's never been to New Orleans, but her photos looked strikingly like classic Cafe du Monde beignets. Plus, her recipe was adapted from Cooks Country New Orleans Beignets, so I figured it was worth a shot.

MILK FREE BEIGNETS by Country Cleaver (my adaptations noted)
Makes 30

• 1 cup water
• 3 tbs sugar
• 1 envelope quick rise yeast 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 3 cups flour (plus more for rolling out dough)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs 
• 2 tbs vegetable oil 2 tbs coconut oil, melted (plus more for frying, unless you're baking)

"In a mixing bowl with a dough hook attachment, combine water, 1 Tbsp sugar and yeast. Let the yeast rest until foamy - 5 to 10 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, remaining sugar and salt.
Into the yeast mixture, mix in the eggs and 2 Tbsp Vegetable melted coconut oil.
Into the yeast mixture, with the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour (turn out to a lightly floured surface) and knead until the dough comes together.
Remove the Return to the bowl and dough attachment from the mixer, covering the bowl with plastic wrap and placing in fridge until doubled in size - 1-2 hours allow to rise in an warm draft free place (such as an oven first warmed to 170 degrees and then turned off).

On a heavily floured surface, roll out the dough until ¼" thick - Make sure to sprinkle the top of the dough with flour before rolling so the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin. Using pizza cutter, cut dough into several rectangles, and squares 2x2 inches, or so. They don't have to be exact.

Pour oil into a large dutch oven or electic skillet that measures 1 ½ inches deep. Heat to 350 degrees. Place a few beignets into the heated oil. Fry on each side until deep golden brown, about 2-3 minutes and then flip to continue frying. Remove beignets from oil and place on a paper towel lined baking sheet or cooling rack to drain. Dust beignets with powdered sugar, best if served immediately."

Despite Country Cleaver's lack of personal experience with NOLA beignets she really pulled this one off. These were fantastic!  Her original recipe includes a raspberry sauce, which I decided to forgo in favor of the classic mountain of powdered sugar.

Today, while the snow falls here in Ohio, I'm cozy in my kitchen enjoying hot fresh beignets and dreaming of New Orleans.

Peace,
Laura

"Not Butter Chicken" Dairy Free Chicken Makhani and Naan

"Not Butter Chicken" is all for my baby sister Kelly. She's a big Indian food fan living in rural Ohio where there aren't a lot of other big Indian food fans. Hopefully a do-it-yourself Chicken Makhani will do the trick and give her tummy a little culture!

Chicken Makhani is a favorite in my family and is also known as "Indian Butter Chicken." Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I don't exactly cook with butter so the butter had to go; along with the cream and yogurt which add to the joy of chicken makhani. 

I was delighted to find one recipe that called for coconut milk as a substitution for the cream, and one recipe that called for tomato paste instead of diced tomatoes (which hubby doesn't like), and one recipe that looked like it had a good balance of spices, and one recipe that was made in a slow cooker. Combine them all together and voila; Not Butter Chicken! 

NOT BUTTER CHICKEN/CHICKEN MAKHANI

Serves 4-6 

• 6-8 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 medium onion
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 13.5 oz can coconut milk (I went with full fat because it replaces the cream and the yogurt)
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 inch peeled grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek (don't worry this will soften in the slow cooker)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne (or more if you like it spicy)

Dice the onion and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the chicken on top. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken and onion. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Serve with hot baked naan bread or basmati rice. 

Oh, you picked up on that "hot baked naan" business eh!?  Don't worry, I have a recipe for that as well.    The naan is actually part of my yeast bread resolution for 2014. Two birds you know?

DAIRY FREE NAAN 

Adapted from Avocado Bravo, see the original recipe at http://avocadobravado.net/recipe-pan-fried-naan/

Serves 6 to 8

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 olive or melted coconut oil
• 1/3 cup Tofutti "Better Than Sour Cream" or plain non-dairy yogurt
• 1 egg
• oil for cooking

In a large mixing bowl combine the warm water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to stand 5 minutes or until foamy. 

Combine the flour and salt. Combine the oil, Tofutti or yogurt, and egg. Mix the oil/Tofutti/egg mixture into the yeast mixture, and slowly incorporate the flour/salt mixture. The dough should be slightly tacky and pull away from the side of the bowl, add a little more flour if needed. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. 

Oil a large bowl, place the dough ball inside, cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm location until doubled in size, approximately 1 hour.  (While I'm mixing my dough I preheat my oven to 170 degrees and then promptly turn it off once preheated. Then I allow my dough to rise in the oven. This is the only way I can get dough to rise.)  

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high. Turn out dough to a lightly floured surface and divide dough into 6-8 pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball and then roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. 

Add a small about of oil to the skillet and when hot add the naan and cook until medium to large air bubbles form on the surface, flip and cook to a golden brown. You can always brush melted dairy free butter (such as Earth Balance) over the top if you want to take it over the top! 

Oh boy was this good! Definitely a suitable substitution for the original. I hope my little sister will be able to enjoy a little bit of culture out in soybean land. 

Peace, 

Laura

Yeast Bread Resolution: Dairy Free Cinnamon Swirl Bread

Is it weird that nearly all of my 2014 resolutions involve food? I suppose a lot of people make resolutions about food, but I wonder how many other people vow to tackle yeast breads in any given year. It's a pretty intimidating matter. I've tried and tried and my efforts always fall flat. My only success to date is pizza crust and I have to say, it shouldn't be rocket science, but it sure feels like it.

So on this beautiful, sunny, 13 degree Ohio day I have two choices: tackle resolution number #1 which involves hanging out in the kitchen, soaking in the sunshine by my warm oven, or tackle resolution #2 (which is my only non-food related resolution) and purge the mountain of boxes that I hoard in the basement…. the cold…. dark….. basement.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread it is!

Did I mention that purging boxes from the basement does NOT make the house smell like heaven!?

The recipe that I decided to try was from Pinch Of Yum http://pinchofyum.com/homemade-cinnamon-swirl-bread. There was a method to my madness here. First of all, it didn't call for butter and remember how I mentioned that the only yeast bread I was successful with was pizza crust? Well, I chose this recipe because the dough recipe for this cinnamon swirl bread is exactly half of my pizza crust recipe, plus 1/2 a cup of flour and the full amount of sugar. I hoped that the odds were in my favor!

DAIRY FREE CINNAMON SWIRL BREAD
Makes 2 loaves

• 1 cup warm water  (I run my tap until it's warm and then fill a measuring cup, previously, I would get out my thermometer and measure exactly 105 to 115 degrees just like the yeast package says but that was too hot and my yeast died, resulting in hockey puck bread). 
• 2 tsp sugar (be sure to mix this in to the water, it helps to feed the yeast)
• 1 pkg (2.5 tsp) active dry yeast 

• 2.5 cups flour (you can use the high gluten that is recommended in the original recipe, but I used good old all purpose unbleached flour, I'm betting you could do half whole wheat if you want, that's what I do with my pizza crust). 
• 1 tsp salt (never mix this in with the yeast or that will prevent your yeast from working)
• 2 tbs olive oil (or your oil of choice)

• 1/2 cup white sugar 
• 2 tbs cinnamon (mix the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl) 

First, you have to consider where you are going to allow your dough to rise. We're basically polar bears and we keep our house at around 69 degrees year round. This is NOT the ideal temperature to allow dough to rise in. I preheat my oven to 170 degrees (because that's as low as it goes) and then turn it off a few minutes before I put my dough in to rise.

Next, mix the water and sugar together in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and give it about 5 minutes to get frothy.

Get your work space ready by setting aside a small bowl of flour in a clean area where you can knead your dough. Prepare a large glass bowl with a coating of oil.

Next mix together the flour and salt. Once the yeast is frothy add the oil and mix the flour/salt in with your hands.  Sprinkle your work space with flour and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. Place your dough ball in the oiled bowl and give the top a thin coating of oil.

Cover the bowl (not the dough ball) with plastic wrap and put it in the warm but now OFF oven. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.

Prepare your next work station with more flour, your rolling pin, your bread pans or baking stone and your cinnamon sugar mixture.

When the dough has doubled in size pull it out, punch it down and divide it in two. Roll out each half into a long rectangle, to fit your bread pan if you're using one. Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon sugar mixture and then roll into a loaf to be placed in the bread pan or on the baking stone.

Bake 30-40 minutes (this depends on what you bake it in/on). It should be golden brown on top and sound hollow if you knock on it. The original recipe advises to err on the side of over baking if you're not sure. Mine baked for 35 minutes on a baking stone (I don't have 2 bread pans or I probably would have tried that method).

You CAN remove to cool on a wire rack before slicing, OR you can be like me and want warm, fresh, hot out of the oven bread and slice it now. If you're slicing it warm be sure to  use a sharp bread knife and a gentle touch.

So my loaves breached containment. The cinnamon sugar mixture oozed out onto my baking stone and I was pretty concerned. Being a novice yeast bread baker I have no idea why or how that happened, but I'll be Googling away my afternoon trying to find out. I'm guessing if I had used bread pans this would be a non-issue.

Turns out it's a non-issue anyway, it sliced beautifully and tasted delicious!



This was so amazing hot out of the oven and I bet it will be outstanding after a trip through the toaster tomorrow morning.

Peace,
Laura

Dairy Free Snickerdoodles

The smell of pine, the crisp cool air, the sounds of Christmas music wafting through the air…. it's time to bake. Throughout the year I enjoy cooking and baking, but during the holidays I crave it.

My all time favorite cookie is definitely the Snickerdoodle. It's a pretty simple cookie and they come together really fast. They also disappear from the cookie jar really fast. Not that I would know anything about that. 

The trick to making a good dairy free snickerdoodle is to maintain it's original allure. It needs to be "buttery" but also have a crispy on the outside chewy on the inside texture. Dairy free spread is great for the "buttery" flavor, but not so much for the crispy texture. Coconut oil is great for crispy texture but not for "buttery" flavor. I hoped that a combination of the two would produce just the right texture. 

DAIRY FREE SNICKERDOODLES

Makes 4 Dozen

• 1/2 cup dairy free spread (I use Earth Balance Soy Free)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (at room temp)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs sugar + 1-2 tbs cinnamon + a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg (combined together to roll the cookies in)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Cream together the dairy free spread, the coconut oil and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. 

Add in 1 egg at a time and mix until combined. 

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. 

Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until the dough comes together. 

Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar/nutmeg mixture. 

Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for 10 minutes, allow to cool 1 minute on the sheet and the move to a cooling rack.

It turns out that my dairy free spread and coconut oil combination produced a wonderful flavor and texture. This version is somewhat lighter and airier than the original,  in a very pleasant way. 

Peace,

Laura 

Chewy Gingerbread Molasses Cookies; Milk Free

Recently, as a guest at my cousin's Christmas themed wedding, I was invited to bake a batch of cookies for a cookie table. It was a cute idea since cookies are quintessentially linked to Christmas (at least in my mind) and coincidentally her new hubby is a dairy farmer. Milk and cookies; what a combo.

It was a bit of a bummer to think about all the other dairy filled treats that would fill those cookie tables; and how I wouldn't be able to enjoy any of them. BIG. FROWNY. FACE.

But, I got over it. Plus, I was baking for two at a minimum, myself and my cousin's little girl, who has recently been experiencing a terrible rash from consuming dairy. They find themselves in the very same place that I found myself a little over a year ago, adapting to a new way of dairy free life. Hopefully this recipe will soften the blow.

My hubby's favorite cookie was the object of my experimentation. Chewy Gingerbread Molasses. It's a perfect holiday cookie filled with ginger, cinnamon and molasses. Last Christmas I tried to adapt the recipe using coconut oil. Hubby was not impressed. This year: SUCCESS!

The final recipe is a combination of the best of three individual recipes, so I'm proud to call it my own!

CHEWY GINGERBREAD MOLASSES COOKIES; MILK FREE
Makes 3 dozen

• 3/4 cup Earth Balance Vegan Spread (Soy Free)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• sanding sugar or an additional 1/4 cup sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cream together the Earth Balance and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the molasses and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt.
Gradually incorporate the flour mixture; mixing only until the dough comes together.
Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in the sanding sugar.
Bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for 13 minutes (at least that's the magic number in my oven).
Cool 1 minute on the cookie sheet and remove to cool on a wire rack.

As I passed by the cookie table after dinner I was pleasantly surprised to see a completely empty tray. I felt proud to have contributed a dairy free cookie that myself and my cousin's little girl could enjoy,  and no one else was any the wiser.

Here's to hoping your holidays are filled with peace, love and cookies!

Peace,
Laura

I've got PIE hopes!

I'm not sure when pie became synonymous with Thanksgiving, but in my world it's just not Thanksgiving without a plethora of pie. Of course there are other fabulous things about Thanksgiving; spending time with family, watching the parade, eating turkey, holiday crafting and watching Christmas Vacation, but there MUST. BE. PIE.

My mom is THE pie lady and I aspire to create pies that are as perfect as hers. This task falls to me more often now that I adhere to a dairy free lifestyle and I want to be able to eat pie. This year I decided to try both a dairy free pumpkin pie and a dairy free pecan pie.

I was a little nervous about finding a recipe that would produce the ideal pumpkin pie texture since my sweet hubby is a pie snob. (I say that with love.) Every year he reminisces about the year that he purchased a store bought pumpkin pie with disastrous results. His ideal pumpkin pie has a "tight" texture and he considers my mom's pie to be the height of the pumpkin pie experience.

My inspiration for the pumpkin pie came from one of my sister's good friends. She highly recommended Alisa Cooks "Dairy Free, Soy Free, Pumpkin Pie Perfection." See the original recipe here: http://www.onefrugalfoodie.com/2009/11/05/dairy-free-soy-free-pumpkin-pie/

Thankfully, this pie is appropriately titled Pumpkin Pie Perfection and so it was. Hubby says: "your mom better watch her back." The only change I made was to swap out the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg/allspice and cloves for 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (my favorite is from the Savory Spice Shop).

I also used my mom's crust recipe, see below.

PATTY ANN'S PERFECT PIE CRUST
Makes 2; 10 inch crusts {I used one for the pumpkin pie and one for the pecan pie}

• 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup shortening (I like Spectrum Organic)
• 1 tsp salt
• 7-8 tbs ice water (may need more if the air is dry)

Combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives cut the shortening into the flour until it is the size of peas. Slowly add 2-3 tbs of water at a time until the dough starts to pull together.
Divide the dough in half and using plastic wrap pull the dough into a circle. Roll out to 10 inch diameter, place in pie plate and chill until filling.

My second pie endeavor was to create a pecan pie. I really enjoy pecan pie so I was the critic this time. I'm not a big fan of the overly sweet pecan pie, so after scavenging the world wide web for a dairy free recipe I ended up adapting my mom's recipe; which was SURPRISINGLY easy.

PATTY ANN'S PECAN PIE (with dairy free adaptation)
Makes 1; 9 inch pie

• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbs Soy Free Earth Balance Vegan Spread (melted)
• 2 cups pecans (chopped)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the corn syrup and sugar. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and vanilla and add to the sugar mixture. Mix in the melted butter and add pecans. Pour into the unbaked pie crust and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool 2 hours before serving.

Both pies turned out beautifully and I will be proud to share them with friends and family this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good PIE!

Peace,
Laura

Milk Free Menu

It has come to my attention that hubby and I are a bit odd; friends, family and co-workers have been befuddled by our strange behavior.

You see, every week we plan a menu, make a grocery list and go to the grocery store together. Then, we sit down at the dinner table every night for a meal. Totally bizarre right?!

The funny thing is, that we've always been this way. We don't know how to function any other way. One of the most difficult things for us to deal with when traveling is how often we have to eat out.

So, for the first time ever, I'd like to share one of our milk free menu plans. My hope is to inspire anyone who wishes they could have a nice sit-down dairy free dinner or spend one less evening sitting in the fast food drive through. (At the very least this should help to level the playing field between my dessert posts and my main dish posts!)

Sunday: 

Easy Braised Brisket from Cooking Light's 5 Ingredient Collection http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/easy-braised-brisket-50400000110464/
Mashed Potatoes Ore-Ida Steam and Mash (replace milk with rice milk, replace butter with Earth Balance Soy Free Vegan Spread)
Green Beans (Birdseye Steam Fresh) 

BONUS: Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins I found this recipe on Pinterest via Shrinking Jeans and decided I had to try it out! (I swapped out the milk with almond milk and instead of raisins, used dried cranberries, pecans and unsweetened coconut flakes. Also, it is not necessary to soak the oatmeal in the almond milk if you're feeling impatient. These made for a wonderfully filling snack throughout the week!)
http://shrinkingjeans.net/2010/11/taste-of-the-sisterhood-oatmeal-applesauce-muffins/

Monday: 

Kielbasa with Potatoes, Onions and Asparagus from Forkful of Comfort (we just added asparagus)
http://www.forkfulofcomfort.com/2012/03/sausage-potatoes.html

Tuesday:

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken with Rice from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen (we substitute brown sugar for white, rice wine vinegar for cider vinegar, and used brown rice.)
http://lakelurecottagekitchen.com/2011/08/30/crock-pot-teriyaki-chicken/
Edamame

Wednesday:

Avocado BLTs (just like it sounds; bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado on toast, we also ended up adding sliced turkey breast because we had it on hand.)
Fruit watermelon
Fries Alexia Waffle Fries (we always bake them in the oven, they're outstanding!)

Thursday:

Cavatappi and Pesto (store bought or homemade) Check out Ina Garten's recipe, omit Parmesan or sub with milk free Parmesan.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pesto-recipe2/index.html
Salad

Friday: 

Breakfast Burritos from Yummly, make your own substitutions (we replace the chorizo with turkey sausage and omit the cheese)
http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Breakfast-burrito-362234

Saturday: 

It just so happens that this week we were celebrating my Aunt's birthday, so today all you get is a German Chocolate Cake =)
Check out my post "Chocoholics Unite!" and use Martha Stewart's One Bowl Chocolate Cake. Cover each layer with Coconut Pecan Frosting and voila!

COCONUT PECAN FROSTING
Covers 1 cake

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
• 3 large egg yolks
• 4 tbs coconut oil
• 4 tbs Earth Balance Soy Free Margarine
• 1 1/3 cups coconut
• 1 1/3 cups chopped pecans

Combine sugar, coconut milk, egg yolks, coconut oil and Earth Balance in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture slightly thickens and is bubbling. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and pecans. Allow to cool completely before frosting cake.

I think the hardest part of sharing this week's menu was remembering to take a picture of each meal before I started to devour dinner!

Peace,
Laura