Sweet & Salty Eggplant (recipe)

Before I couldn't eat sulfur, I made this incredible delicious eggplant miso that was sweet and salty and good by itself, or on salads, hot or cold, even in a sandwich. The texture and the flavors made it taste it feel a bit like meat. So here is my sulfur-free version, and it's great on salads, or with ground beef and pasta at lunch.

Sweet & Salty Eggplant

1/8 cup pine nuts

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes

1 scant Tbsp sugar

1 inch finely chopped fresh ginger OR 1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp rice vinegar

fresh ground pepper to taste

In a heavy medium pan, heated over med low heat, dry roast the pine nuts until just lightly brown and fragrant. Add sesame oil and turn heat up to medium, then add the cubed eggplant, sugar, ginger and salt and saute until eggplant begins to become tender (about 5-7 minutes), then add the vinegar and pepper to taste and saute for another few minutes until the eggplant is cooked through. Remove from heat and serve over rice or noodles while warm. Refrigerate leftovers and use them on salads and as an addition to other dishes.

Mange!

~Miriam

© 2012, Miriam Mason

Safe Salsa (Hot!) - Recipe

I love spicy food. I used to love salsa, but it contains garlic and often onion as well. This year my jalapeño plant went all happy on me, and I ended up with a bag of about 15 of them at once. So I decided to try my own thing and see what happened. I liked the result a lot.

Safe Salsa, Just the Peppers Please

12-15 fresh jalapeños

2 teaspoons coconut oil (or butter)

1/2 Cup raw cashews soaked for 30 minutes in

1-1/2 Cups water

1 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/3 Cups distilled white vinegar

1 Tbsp water + 1/2 Tbsp Corn Starch, mixed well before adding

Measure 1-1/2 cups water in a 2 cup measuring cup then pour raw cashews in until the water reaches 2 cups (or above). Allow them to soak for about 30 minutes.

Slice the jalapeños peppers and warm coconut oil up in a large frying pan over medium heat. Make sure you keep the seed, and all parts of the peppers other than the stem and then sauté them in the heated oil until they just soften slightly (4-6 minutes) and remove from heat.

Then add the water and soaked nuts into a food processor. Pour the sautéed jalapeños peppers over the water and nuts and add the salt in. Save the sauté pan aside. Process for several minutes to break down the nuts, then slowly in a drizzle, add the white vinegar into the processing mixture until it it finished. Process for several more moments to reduce the nuts even more (for thickening), then taste for added salt or more vinegar.

Pour the mixture back into the same sauté pan and put it on medium high heat. Once it is boiling gently, add the well-stirred water/corn starch mix to the salsa and stir. It will thicken slightly. Turn the heat off and let the salsa sit for 5 more minutes to cook all the starch in, then pour the mixture into a quart sized sterile canning jar with a sterile lid. It will last 4-6 months in your refrigerator!

Use sparingly. It's hot, baby.

Cheers!

~Miriam

© 2012, Miriam Mason

Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

I seem to be into muffins of late. Another original I'm very happy with (and so's my hubs, who ordinarily doesn't like fruit things, he's a chocolaholic).

Blueberry Applesauce Muffins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins by lining with paper or oiling the cups. This recipe made about 15 muffins for me. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside:

2 Cups flour (I use 1 cup whole wheat white and 1 cup unbleached white)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together wet ingredients very well in a small bowl:

2/3 Cup apple sauce

1/4 Cup melted coconut oil

1/2 Cup coconut milk

1/4 Cup water (less for all white flour, more for darker flours)

1 tsp lemon zest

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 Cup sugar

Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until everything is just moistened. Do not over mix. Then gently fold in:

1 to 1-1/2 Cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Pour batter into the muffin tins, then sprinkle the tops with sugar, or make crunchy tops as in previous recipe. Bake about 25 minutes, or until muffin tops bounce back when gently pressed. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and allow to cool fully, or enjoy them warm and soft. :)

Happy muffins!

~Miriam

© 2012, Miriam Mason