Easy as Pie Test Kitchen

Miss ice cream?

Wow, dairy-free, egg-free ice cream sandwiches. That's hard to beat. I haven't tried them yet, but I think I will have to soon, provided I can figure out how to do them sugar-free. That might be too much of a stretch....

Ode to my little garden

I planted some organic, heirloom herbs seeds a few weeks ago because I'm a glutton for punishment. Oh, and because I LOVE being able to just grab whatever seasonings I like from just outside the door. Even though I planted them too deep, 9 of my 12 seed types managed to sprout. Two of them promptly withered because I put them in direct sunlight for at least 8 hours on a particularly hot day. I'd actually given up hope on two more (peppermint and stevia). I decided to do a post-mortem on the seeds that didn't sprout by digging through the dirt looking for roots, and found two little sprouts clinging to the sides of the cup. They're really, really tiny and fragile-looking, so I moved them to the window sill. Can you see the stevia plant at on the left?? It's the lone seed of 20. Brave little stevia plant!

A few days ago I moved my bigger sprouts to pots. I think it was a little too early for some. The dirt crumbled around them and they wound up all tilty and falling over, like the parsley below. It's been like that a few days but doesn't appear to be dying yet...

Some look really good, though. Especially the stuff I bought at Home Depot. :) 

 

I'm particularly excited about my pineapple sage, since I fell in love with it at first bite.

Here's my itty bitty basil:

I followed some signs for a plant sale down the street a few weeks ago, and found myself at a suburban home that doubles as a nursery and goat farm. Now I know why we hear goats at night sometimes. I don't know what kinds of plants these are, but one of them is not doing so well. I love the succulent, though. The flowers are so bright the camera couldn't quite handle them. See if you can guess which of the plants below is the one that is thriving under my black thumb and which is the one that is not doing so well.

 
 

Then there are the Home Depot plants, which I've managed to keep looking good since Saturday. There's even a mini strawberry already growing on the strawberry plant. I can't take credit for that one since it was already there when I bought it.

 

Some kind person even left me a gift for my garden by the dumpster the other day. I'm not sure who left it. But apparently he or she is the of person who likes to make the afternoon of someone who gets excited about things like cat hair-covered bakers racks abandoned next to dumpsters. Must be a secret admirer. That's the only reasonable explanation.

An even easier way to roast a whole chicken

I don't think I will ever get tired of my favorite easy weeknight meal--roast chicken. The skin is so crispy and juicy all at once. The meat is so tender and moist. It just doesn't need anything added to it. And it takes less than 10 minutes of prep time. I used to truss my chicken until someone told me about a way I like much better. It's as simple as this:

1. Heat the oven to 450.
2. Cover the bottom of a large cast iron skillet with oil or melt butter to coat it. (I used some bacon grease--sublime.)
3. Put the chicken in the pan and cook the bottom over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Put it in the oven to roast for about 60-80 minutes.

Boy, did it ever come out juicy, and I didn't even have to look for the twine.

Who's that knocking at my door?

It's Thursday! That means that while I'm at work, the Fairy Foodmother will come and leave a big box of organic produce on my doorstep. I have to go to work, though, or she won't visit.

This week:

Oranges

Apples

Tangerines

Meyer lemons

Bananas

Avocados

Mangos

Grapefruit

Kiwi

Strawberries

Phew! Can't wait.

 

Just the flax

I have been using flax seed as an egg replacement for quite awhile now, but it was not until recently that I tried toasted flax seed. I thought it might not have the gooey binding property of eggs since it's been toasted, but it turns out I was wrong. The toasting brings out the golden, nutty flavor, which goes really well with corn. I buy it already toasted at (where else?) Trader Joe’s, but you can also toast the seeds in the toaster oven or microwave. I grind them in a coffee grinder—just make sure to clean it out carefully because the ground flax will become rancid.

 

Here are a couple of recipes that use cornmeal and toasted flax seed.

Corn-Battered Fish Filets

 

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 pound cod, halibut, or sole filet

2 tablespoons flax seed, ground

 

Directions:

 

Heat oven to 350 F. Combine corn meal and seasonings.  Combine flax and 2 tablespoons water. Dip fish in  combined flax and water.  Coat with corn meal mixture.  Place in 15x10-inch baking pan. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

 

 

Mini Corn Muffins

 

1 1/2 cups soy or almond milk

1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 cups cornmeal

1 cup brown rice flour

2 tablespoons toasted ground flax seed

1 (null) teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/2 cup corn kernels

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350, and spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

 

In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar and soy or almond milk and set aside.

 

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, flax, baking powder and salt). Add the oil and maple syrup to the soymilk mixture. Wisk with a wire wisk or a fork until it is foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

 

Pour the wet ingredient into the dry, add the corn, and mix together with a spoon. Pour batter into the muffin tin and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.