Seriously, everyone needs to go out and make this loaf… I absolutely love making bread (banana, zucchini, pumpkin, carrot, etc) but this was by far my most fruitful bread/cake experiment.
Woe is my lack of a loaf pan, but my trusty 9x9 didn't disappoint for gastronomy purposes. For aesthetic purposes... well let's just hope Santa brings me a loaf pan!
Yum, this bread was sweet, soft, and tangy. Just delicious all over.
I wondered what it might look/taste like to sprinkle brown sugar on the top before baking... so... Even better!
I made 3 batches in one day and popped two into the freezer. As for the recipe, I made a lot of modifications and veganizations from a recipe that was previously modified from Gourmet magazine, so this puppy has street cred, twice removed.
Cranberry-Lemon Bread
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 “eggs” (that is, two portions of egg replacer, like Ener-G, mixed with 1/4 cup H20)
- 1/2 cup soy buttermilk (soy milk + vinegar or lemon juice)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp freshly grated lemon rind
- 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries
Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Cream together sugars and shortening. Stir in egg-replacement mixture and beat with a fork until combined. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, and rind. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in cranberries and pour into a greased pan. Optional: sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350F for 30-40 minutes. Remove and let cool for 10 minutes.
I also recently made a quadruple batch of Jenna‘s awesome Simple Red Lentil Curry:
What a cheap and easy recipe! I'm so pleased to have found this.
I bombed my last dahl attempt by adding too much garam masala, so I was hesitant to dip my toes back into the water, but this turned out great. I went completely non-traditional by serving it with Israeli couscous, another discovery chanced upon during my aimless wanderings through the local bulk food store.
The Israeli couscous didn't complement the curry as much as basmati rice would have, but I was just too curious what this neat little grain would look/taste like.
Simple red lentil curry & Israeli couscous
I also made another HUGE batch of my favourite broccoli soup recipe. If you live in the West GTA, you have probably seen me lately, wailing in numerous grocery stores at the price of fresh broccoli . I realized, embarassingly and by accident, that frozen broccoli is way cheaper and just as good for a blended soup. Can you believe I hold a science degree? Anyway, I reinvented the wheel a bit by adding red chili pepper flakes to this recipe and the results were explosive.
Seriously... best soup ever. (Please ignore my superlatives, my life isn't very exciting these days).
Broccoli Soup
- 4 cups vegetable soup broth
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound fresh or frozen broccoli crowns and stems, chopped into small pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
Heat a large pot on medium high. Heat olive oil, add the onion, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves, stirring to coat. Cook until onions begin to soften and turn brown, stirring often.
Add broccoli, stirring to coat with oil and onion flavor. Let cook, turning occasionally for 1 – 2 minutes. Stir in hot broth. Cover and cook for 5 – 10 minutes or until the vegetables are fully cooked. Remove the bay leaves.
Transfer a third of the hot mixture to a blender. Puree until smooth. Repeat with another third, then the final third.
Happy weekend everyone!
-Maureen
Mad About Udon 