Peanut Butter Cookies

(Makes 2 large rolls or 4 small rolls of cookie dough)

9 oz all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

6 oz unsalted butter (softened)

39 g peanut or grapeseed oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 oz turbinado sugar

4 oz brown sugar

284 g peanut butter (natural style)

75 g eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional: bittersweet chocolate chips

Mix wet ingredients first, then add to dry ingredients.

Refrigerate dough, form into rolls with parchment paper, freeze rolls.

Bake at 375 F for 13 - 14 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Allen's Korean Pancakes

Gourmet Magazine (June 2009)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 large egg

2 cups cold water, plus more as needed

2 bundles korean leeks (or scallions or chives), cut into 2-inch lengths

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

mushrooms (sauteed)

1 teaspoon salt (or less)

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

grapeseed oil for frying

Dipping sauce: soy sauce, sesame oil and sriracha.

Cook:

Combine the flour, rice flour, egg and water in a bowl. The consistency should be that of thin pancake batter.

Add the vegetables, salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Spoon batter into pan and spread it thin and wide. Cook until the edges get slightly brown and the center starts becoming slightly translucent (about 3 to 4 minutes). Flip the pancake and cook on the other side for 3-4 minutes. Place cooked pancake on a cutting board and cut into wedges.

Serve with dipping sauce.

Allen's Orange Hoisin Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

(optional: chili oil)

1 tbsp minced ginger

chopped scallions

Cook:

Saute ginger for 1-2 minutes. Add all other ingredients.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in scallions

Allen's Peanut Noodles

Note: try reducing the soy sauce?

Ingredients for sauce:

2 packages of Tin Wah Noodle Company egg noodles

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup sesame paste

1 tablespoon black vinegar

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon chinese chili oil

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock, heated

(optional for Japanese style - 1/4 cup black tea)

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

grapeseed oil

Half version of sauce:

1 package of Tin Wah Noodle Company egg noodles

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sesame paste

1/2 tablespoon black vinegar

1 tablespoon white sugar

1/4 teaspoon chinese chili oil

2 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock, heated

(optional for Japanese style - 2 tablespoons black tea)

1/2 tablespoon minced ginger

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

grapeseed oil

Suggested garnishes:

cucumber, de-seeded, peeled and cut into moons

red bell pepper, julienned

scallions

peanuts

Cook:

Whisk sauce ingredients in a bowl (other than ginger, garlic and grapeseed oil).

Saute (in a nonstick pan) ginger & garlic in grapeseed oil for less than a minute.

When pan is 250 F, add whisked ingredients then turn off heat.

Boil egg noodles, rinse in cold water, add grapeseed oil and cool.

Combine cold noodles with sauce

Eggplant Basil Noodles

Ingredients:

2 japanese eggplant

(sliced on bias and roasted at 400F for 14 minutes - layer on parchment paper, no oil)

2 scallions (chopped)

thai broccoli

fresh basil

cooked chicken or firm tofu

ginger

garlic

shanghai noodles

peanut oil

sesame oil

hoisin

chinese rice wine

chili oil

soy sauce

See proportions for sauce:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Szechwan-Style-Eggplant-with-Pita-Wedges-12780

Wild Mushroom Polenta

Ingredients:
1/2 lb wild mushrooms (horn of plenty, maitake, king trumpet, etc)
lemon juice
1 garlic clove, smashed and minced
olive oil
1 cup medium-to-coarse cornmeal
Maldon salt
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
1 tablespoon butter, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Saute mushrooms in garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and butter. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, put cornmeal in a medium saucepan (Le Creuset) along with 1 cup water and whisk well to make a slurry; continue whisking mixture to eliminate any lumps. Put pan over medium-high heat, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, whisking frequently and adding water as needed to keep mixture loose and free of lumps, between 3 and 4 more cups. If mixture becomes too thick, simply add a bit more water; consistency should be similar to sour cream’s.

3. Polenta will be done in 15 to 30 minutes, depending on grind. Add cheese and butter. Taste and add salt, if necessary, and lots of pepper; serve topped with mushrooms.

Winter Vegetable Stew with Lentils & Quinoa

Fresh ingredients:

2 small russet potatoes

3 small sweet potatoes

1 small head of yellow cauliflower
2 medium leeks (light sections only, chopped)
1 large clove of garlic (smashed and chopped)
6 roma tomatoes (cut into 6 pieces each)
1 bunch of curly kale (de-stemmed and broken into small pieces by hand)
1 lemon (juice and 1/2 of the peel)
optional: 1 chunk of parmesan (&/or parmesan rind)

Pantry ingredients:

1 bay leaf

sea salt
ground black pepper
grapeseed oil

olive oil
1 cup red quinoa (rinsed in strainer)
1 cup green lentils (rinsed in colander)
2 dried red chili peppers

spices: ras al hanout, curry powder, hot chili powder or other spice mixture

Directions:
In a french oven, saute leeks in grapeseed oil with bay leaf, ground pepper, sea salt and spices for 5 minutes.
Boil water in kettle.
Add parmesan and saute another 3 minutes.

Add hot water, lemon and lentils.

Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove red chili peppers and bay leaf.

Add red quinoa, russet potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and tomatoes and simmer 20 minutes.

Add kale and simmer 5 minutes or less.
Stir from bottom every 10 minutes.

Serve with olive oil.

Healthier Banana Bread

Ingredients (1 regular loaf)

Dry Ingredients:
10 oz unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/16 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:
1 whole egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 oz unsalted butter (1/2 stick), at room temperature
4 oz plain yogurt
6 oz demerara (or turbinado) sugar
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt, ground after measuring
8 oz ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork

Extras:
2.5 - 5 oz toasted walnut pieces

(or blueberries)

Directions:

Sift the flour into a medium bowl, add all other Dry Ingredients, whisk together and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter, oil, salt and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the egg, yogurt, vanilla extract until incorporated. Whisk in the mashed bananas.

Add Wet Ingredients to the Dry Ingredients and fold with silicon spatula until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the Extras.

Lightly coat a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3") with grapeseed oil. Transfer the batter to the prepared pans.

Bake for 70 minutes (or until lightly browned) at 350 F. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on a cutting board or rack. Wrap in foil.

Mexican chocolate chip cookies

recipe last modified on 5.5.2010

Dry ingredients:

18 oz all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda

12 oz guittard semisweet chocolate chips

Wet ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter
12 oz light brown (demerera) sugar

1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili

1 egg
2 ounces milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine the flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl.

Slice the butter with a knife into the mixer's work bowl. Put the Cream the butter, sugar, salt and spices in the mixer's work bowl, starting on low speed to soften the butter. Increase the speed, and cream the mixture until light and fluffy.

Reduce the speed and add the egg, milk and vanilla. Increase the speed and mix until well combined.

Slowly add the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes. Form dough into small flat disks.

Place disks on parchment-lined baking sheets (or freeze disks for later use).

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 16 minutes. (In a toaster oven, bake for 14 - 15 minutes on convection setting at 375 F.)

Banana-Apple Nut Bread

This is not as good as the Healthier Banana Bread recipe.

Ingredients (1 loaf)

Dry Ingredients:
5 oz all purpose flour

5 oz whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/16 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Wet Ingredients:
1 large egg, 1 egg white at room temperature
1 oz buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 oz grapeseed oil
6 oz demerera (or turbinado) sugar
1/2 teaspoon Maldon salt
10 oz fruit (apple & ripe bananas), blended

Extras:
4 oz toasted walnut pieces

Directions:

Sift the flour into a medium bowl, add all other Dry Ingredients, whisk together and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter, oil, salt and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk in the egg, buttermilk, vanilla extract until incorporated. Whisk in the blended fruit.

With a rubber spatula, add Wet Ingredients to the Dry Ingredients and fold with spatula until just incorporated, being careful not to over-mix. Fold in the nuts.

Lightly coat a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3") with grapeseed oil. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

Bake for 70 minutes at 350 F. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on cutting board. Wrap in foil.