I just wanted to take a quick moment to let you all know about some upcoming changes to my life, and inevitably, to the blog.

Recently, just in time for my 10 year high school reunion, I reconnected with my high school sweetheart after losing contact for nearly 8 years. It basically took no time at all for us to realize that that old spark was still there. So, in just a matter of months, I will be marrying a soldier and moving my entire life to Germany – yes, even the kitties!

So, what does this mean for the blog, you ask?

We will be stationed ‘Near the French Border, but Still the Middle of Nowhere’, Germany for about 3 years, and in that time, I plan to write about my experiences, my travels, the local cuisine, and how to maintain a friendly kitchen, even while abroad. My career as a private chef will be on hold for a while, but never fear. I will be working to finish my degree in nutrition, so when I come back to the ol’ career, I will be better than ever!

Also, I’m planning to do my best to find some staging gigs in local restaurants to keep my cookin’ chops up to speed. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll even find a part time gig working on a farm or two in the area. With this incredible adventure before me, I will still have lots of recipes to share, so I definitely won’t neglect that piece of the blog-y puzzle.

In the meantime, I’ll be doing a little tidying up around the site, posting a few things here and there, and getting The Friendly Kitchen all ready for it’s big move across the ocean – oh yeah, and I’ll be planning a wedding. Sheesh.

Here’s to New Beginnings!

And, I went on the most amazing cross country trip from Austin, Texas to Anacortes, WA with my best friend, Olivia. And, that trip was the inspiration for this yummy recipe I am sharing today.

Because Olivia and I both are gluten free and pretty dang particular about what food we put in our bodies, the only thing that we really had planned going into the trip was what we were going to be eating. One of the things that I thought would be great road trip food was Baba Ganoush with Crudite. You know, instead of the typical Funyun and SlimJim fare. As it turns out, Olivia had never had Baba Ganoush before, but after just one savory bite, the entire 8 oz. tub was annihilated before we even got out of central Texas. So much for that lasting until we got to LA…

So, in homage to our once in a lifetime trip through the desert of New Mexico, hiking the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona, up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco, through the Redwoods, Oregon and finally to Olivia’s new home – the stellar state of Washington – I bring you our most favorite snack in the world.

This one’s for you, Liv! I miss you.

Olivia (L) and Rachel (R) viewing a gorgeous sunset over the pacific

And, to all you Washingtonians out there reading this, you just got the coolest new resident, and I’m totally jealous of you.

ROASTED GARLIC BABA GANOUSH
makes about one cup

1 large eggplant, quartered lengthwise
3 large whole garlic cloves, skins removed
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. grapeseed oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 Tbs. tahini
lots of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the eggplant slices and garlic inside. Rub 2 Tbs. of oil on the eggplant and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and roast until the garlic is browned and the eggplant is very soft, about 30-45 minutes. Let cool slightly.

2. Peel the skin off the eggplant. Place the garlic and eggplant flesh in the food processor along with the lemon juice, tahini, and about a 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Turn on the machine and let it run until the mixture starts to get pretty smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, turn the machine back on, and, while it is running, add 1/4 cup grapeseed oil though the feed tube.

3. Continue to process the mixture until it is nice and smooth, tasting periodically for more salt or pepper. Enjoy this super yummy treat at room temperature or chilled with crudite, gluten free crackers, or pita bread.

This evening for dinner I had planned to eat the leftover Dal Curry with Spinach and Brown Rice that I had made a few nights ago. But, for lunch today, I attended the Annual Vegan Chili Cookoff and couldn’t seem to muster the strength for another meal consisting almost exclusively of legumes. I needed veggies. STAT.

So, I started rummaging. Somehow, through some amazing intervention of the Leftover Food Gods, this was literally all that I had left in my produce bin. Well, okay, I also had some tomatoes, a russet potato, and a pear. But, other than that, this was what I had left. Actually, now that I think about it, I should have thrown the pear into this salad as well. It would have been amazing. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

And, yes, there will be a next time.

This salad was a beautiful, perfect combination of crunch from the veggies and soft suppleness of young coconut flesh. The flavors melded smoothly with the sweetness of the ginger and maple and the tang of the vinegars. The umeboshi plum vinegar provided a lovely splash of saltiness, and there with a subtle kick with the last minute addition of chili garlic sauce.

In order to make this dish raw, (obviously) leave out the chicken, use untoasted sesame oil, and replace the caramelized ginger with 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger. If you would like a little extra protein, throw in some slivered almonds. Also, you can use agave nectar in place of the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar in place of the other vinegars. Unfortunately, you will have to leave out the chili garlic sauce altogether, but if you throw half of a minced jalapeno in with the veggies, I’m sure you won’t even miss it.

If you are new to the magic that is the young coconut, here is a tutorial on how to open it and get to the meat. And, don’t forget to save the coconut water inside. That stuff is the nectar of the gods. Seriously.

CABBAGE SALAD WITH YOUNG COCONUT NOODLES AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER
serves four

For the Salad:
3 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup shredded cooked chicken, optional
meat from 1 young coconut, sliced thinly into “noodles”
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced or shredded
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs. each black and white sesame seeds

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1 Tbs. umeboshi plum vinegar
1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt, or 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the fixins for the salad.

2. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake it up until it emulsifies. Or, just whisk it all together in a small bowl. You may need to tweek the amount of each ingredient to find the balance that is just right for you.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix it up, and dig in.

OTHER CABBAGE SALAD RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad at 101 Cookbooks
Red Cabbage Salad with Braeburn Apples and Spiced Pecans at Serious Eats
Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken at Eat This.
Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Broccoli Stems and Cottage Cheese
Red Cabbage and Dried Figs Salad at Chocolate and Zucchini

This month, the theme was beer. The fabulous folks at the 512 Brewing Company hosted us for an evening of unlimited beer and yummy foods made with beer.

photo by Jennie Chen at MisoHungry

What is so great about these potlucks is not only that there is SO.MUCH.FOOD, but also that the food is wildly creative and delicious. This is not the sort of potluck where, inevitably, someone shows up with a bucket of soggy fried chicken from KFC. This is that sort of potluck where Beeramisu (a play on Tiramisu) is placed next to delightfully tangy Beer-Lemon Curd from Jennie at MisoHungry. It’s a potluck where Lisa from Lisa is Cooking brings gooey Beer-Pretzel-Cashew Caramels and Kristi from Austin Farm to Table brings her amazing Oktoberfest Pizza with Beer Braised Sausage, Sauerkraut, and Stoneground Mustard.

With so many talented foodie folks in this town, it’s always fun to come up something creative to bring. This time around I decided on these little baby cakes. I’m pretty much totally over the whole cupcake fad, so I refused to make these in a muffin pan or to even call them cupcakes. These are mini-cakes. Even individual cakes, if you will. Not cupcakes. Please, not cupcakes.

(Of course, if you would like, you can totally bake these in a muffin tin and call them cupcakes. Your kids will love them.)

These cakes are so incredibly moist and a perfect indulgence for the fall.

ROASTED KABOCHA – REAL ALE MINI CAKES WITH BROWN SUGAR CREAM
makes twelve mini cakes
adapted from this recipe at Epicurious

There is very little flour in these guys which is part of the reason why they are so moist. And, it also makes it much easier to adapt it to a gluten free recipe. Just substitute the all purpose flour for 1 cup of your favorite high protein gluten free flour mix. I’ve included a recipe for my favorite high protein mix below. Oh, and make sure that your oat flour is gluten free. If it isn’t, just replace the oat flour with another 1/3 cup of your GF flour mix.

For the Brown Sugar Cream:
1/2 teaspoon agar agar powder
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs. agave nectar
3 large egg whites, lightly beaten and placed in a medium sized, heat safe bowl
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Cakes:
3 lbs. kabocha squash, sliced in half lengthwise and seeded
1/4 cup coconut milk, or more as needed
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds removed (reserve pod for another use), or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Nonstick canola oil spray
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup mild-flavored olive oil
1/2 cup Real Ale Brewhouse Brown Ale, or other dark brown ale (Newcastle would be great)
2 large eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup oat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt, or 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. For brown sugar cream: Stir agar agar, cream, and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Temper the warm cream mixture into the egg whites and then add the mixture back to the saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk until mixture thickens, about 12 minutes (do not boil). Strain into a clean bowl. Cover and chill until cold. (This can be made ahead and chilled overnight.) When the cream has set, transfer it to a stand mixer and whip to stiff peaks. Place cream in a piping bag fitted with a large star tip and set aside.

2. For cakes: Lightly spray the flesh of the kabocha squash with non-stick spray and place it face down on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. Roast the squash in a 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until it is soft. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

3. Scoop out the flesh and puree it in the food processor. Add coconut milk as needed to create a smooth puree.

4. Turn the heat in the oven down to 375°F. Spray 12-(6oz.) ramekins with nonstick spray. Place 1 cup of the squash puree in a large bowl (reserve remaining puree for another use). Add sugar, vanilla seeds, oil, beer, and egg to the squash puree and whisk together. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients and stir until smooth. Divide batter among prepared ramekins.

5. Bake cakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in ramekins. When cakes are cool, remove them from the ramekins and pipe brown sugar cream on top.

GLUTEN FREE HIGH PROTEIN FLOUR MIX
makes about 5 1/4 cups or 1.5 pounds of flour
adapted from a recipe in Gluten Free Baking with The Culinary Institute of America

1 3/4 cups (9oz.) white rice flour
1 1/4 cups (6oz.) tapioca starch
1 3/4 cups (6oz.) soy flour
1/2 cup (3 oz.) dry milk or dry soy milk powder

Whisk it.

OTHER KABOCHA SQUASH RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Kabocha Squash Simmered with Lemon at Mental Masala
Shrimp and Kabocha Squash in Coconut Milk at Apple Pie, Patis, and Pate
Kabocha Pumpkin Hot Pot at Serious Eats
Crustless Milk and Cardamom Pumpkin Pie at No Recipes
Kabocha Cookies at Bread + Butter (You can use your high protein gluten free flour mix to make these gluten free.)

Short ribs are a perfect option, not only because they are a super inexpensive cut of meat, but also because they require some serious slow and low cooking. Putting them in the Crockpot allows you to cook these guys as long as they need to without having to be in the house to do it.

Believe me, this is an awesome meal to come home to after a long day at work. And, it would make a really great dish to serve for guests. It’s impressive, super flavorful, and the best part is, you hardly have to do anything to make a great dinner. Just whip up some Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, saute baby bok choy with some sesame oil, salt and pepper, and voila! You’ve got an awesome dinner!

And, for those of you who are considering bringing a new addition home to your kitchen appliance family, here is a little more incentive.

ASIAN SLOW COOKER SHORT RIBS
serves one

1# grass fed beef short ribs

Marinade:
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup GF tamari
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced on a microplane
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced on a microplane

Garnish:
sliced scallion
white and black sesame seeds
cilantro leaves

1. Place the short ribs in the Crockpot
2. Whisk together the marinade and pour it over the top of the ribs.
3. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
4. When the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, transfer the sauce from the bottom of the Crockpot to a small saucepan. Simmer the sauce over medium high heat until reduced almost to a glaze, about 8 minutes.
5. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and garnish with scallion, sesame seeds, and/or cilantro.

MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Chicken Makhani in the Crockpot
Agave Hoisin Chicken
Split Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage and Carrots at Kalyn’s Kitchen
White Bean Chili at Fat Free Vegan
Apple Brown Betty at Slow Cooker Collection

This evening, I was standing in that old familiar position: head in the fridge, just staring, wondering what the heck I was going to make with all these random bits and pieces. I knew that anything requiring more than a few minutes of cooking was out of the question. I’ve been cooking a ton the last few days, and just didn’t have the energy to whip up something fancy for myself. Eventually, I spotted the sweet potato on the counter, the sprouts at the bottom of the veggie bin and a lone egg staring back at me, begging to be released from its shell.

This meal makes such a great weeknight vegetarian dinner. In fact, ever since I found Vital Farms Eggs I’ve been topping lots of things with fried eggs – steamed spinach, pumpkin cornbread, even roasted asparagus – to make simple, nutritious, and fast meals. They are the only eggs that I have found that I can eat with very little to no allergic reaction. I don’t know why I seem to be okay with these eggs and not any others, but I sure am glad I found them.

BLACKENED SWEET POTATO AND BRUSSELS SPROUT HASH WITH A FRIED EGG
makes two to four servings
Feel free to prepare these eggs however you like. I prefer sunny side up, but you can make them over easy or poach them. Part of the joy of this meal is eating the veggies covered in runny, gooey yolk, so I would recommend that however you prepare the egg, the yolk remains soft.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
about 15 to 20 Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. blackening spice
salt, to taste
1 fried or poached egg per serving

1. Place a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, let it heat up a bit, and add the sweet potatoes. Add the blackening spice and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Stir the potatoes occasionally, but not too often so that they can brown.
2. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the shredded Brussels Sprouts. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sprouts are softened and browned.
3. Season the hash with salt and/or more blackening spice. Divide the hash evenly on serving plates and top each serving with an egg.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Look who I got to meet this weekend:

He’s so cool.

Anyhoo….Here are a few more…

EGG-TOPPED FOODS FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Poached Eggs Over Rice at 101 Cookbooks
North African Pepper and Tomato Stew at Field to Feast
Frisee Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and a Poached Egg at Gluten Free Girl
Breakfast Pizza at The Kitchn
Corn Pancakes with Broccoli, Carrots and Basil at What Did You Eat?

Unlike the cornbread that most folks are used to – soft, cakey, and decidedly too sweet – this one is rustic and savory. With the addition of pumpkin in place of buttermilk or oil, you not only remove a potentially gross and/or unhealthy ingredient, you also get a whole host of nutrients added to the mix. Pumpkin contains craaazy amounts of vitamin A, vitamin E, iron and fiber. In addition, it is strongly anti-inflammatory, so it balances the highly-inflammatory effects of the corn. This is good news for folks with arthritis, asthma, colitis, or autoimmune diseases who still want to chow down on some good ol’ fashioned cornbread every now and again.

Try it. You’ll like it.

PUMPKIN CORNBREAD
heavily adapted from a Cooks Illustrated recipe
makes one eight-inch skillet of bread

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. EarthBalance or butter
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
2 tsp. sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar, or 1 packet of Truvia
¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Baking soda
1/3 cup boiling water
¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ tsp. Apple cider vinegar
1 egg, lightly beaten or Ener-G Egg Replacer for 1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spoon the EarthBalance into an 8-inch cast iron skillet and place the skillet in the oven while it is preheating.
2. Mix 2/3 cup cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda in a small bowl.
3. Add the remaining 1/3 cup cornmeal to the boiling water and stir to make a mush. Add the pumpkin, vinegar, and egg and stir until smooth.
4. When the oven is preheated, combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Pour the melted EarthBalance into the batter and stir to incorporate. Quickly add the batter to the hot skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes
5. Remove from the oven and turn cornbread out onto a wire rack. Cool for 5 minutes and serve.

OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Gluten Free Pasta with Pumpkin-Coconut Sauce and Kale
Pumpkin Scones with Autumn Spiced Glaze at Baking and Books
Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup, Pumpkin Bars, Stuffed Mini Pumpkins, and Homemade Pumpkin Seeds at SF Gate
Pumpkin Casserole at Closet Cooking
Pumpkin Cinnamon Cheesecake at Elana’s Pantry

But, I’ve recently come up with a few tricks that keep my time spent in the kitchen and food sent to the compost bin to a minimum. Here are a few ideas:

* Make large batches of rice and freeze them in portion sized containers. Pull them out later for almost instant rice pudding or, in this case, to serve with some tasty curry.
* Soak beans overnight. In the morning, drain them and put them in the Crockpot with enough water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add a few pinches of salt, turn on low and let them cook while you are at work. When you come home, use some of the beans to make, say, a curry perhaps, and freeze the remaining beans (with enough cooking liquid to cover the top of the beans) in portion sized containers for later use.
* Make four servings of your favorite dish and package them each in individual containers. Find 3 single friends to do the same and trade. Voila! Four different meals for the price of one.
* Buy tomato paste in a tube instead of a can. It might cost a bit extra, but you can easily use a tablespoon at a time without trying to figure out how to use the rest of the can in a hurry.
* When you make a pot of soup or stew, freeze at least one portion. If you do this once a week for 2 months, you will have 8 single serving meal options stocked up. This is a great way to ensure that you always have variety.

CHICKPEA AND CHARD CURRY FOR ONE

2 tsp. coconut oil
3 Tbs. finely diced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced on a Microplane
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced on a Microplane
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric
5 cherry tomatoes, diced, or about 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup Swiss chard, chopped
few pinches salt
1 Tbs. cilantro, minced

1. In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat until melted. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until onions are just soft, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the spices and stir to thoroughly coat the onion mixture. Immediately add the tomatoes and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any spices or ginger that may be sticking. Add the coconut milk and lower the heat so that the mixture is just at a simmer.

3. Add the chickpeas, chard and salt. Stir, lower heat even more, cover and cook until the greens are just wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Pour curry into a serving bowl and garnish with cilantro. Serve with brown Basmati rice on the side.

Tips and Thoughts About Dining Alone from Around the Blogosphere:
Cooking for One, a Pleasure or a Trial? at Tea & Cookies
Going Solo in the Kitchen: A Cookbook
Living Alone Recipes from Katie Lee Joel
Thai Red Curry Recipe at Whole Foods Market
Pumpkin Gnocchi at Closet Cooking

Now that the weather is changing, I have been in the mood for a warmer breakfast. I did smoothies for a while, but I got over that after having them everyday for almost a year. Then, I switched to turkey bacon, brown rice, and spinach. That lasted all of a month before I was ready for some actual breakfast-y food again. So, for the last few months I have been eating brown rice cakes with almond butter and jelly and a piece of fruit almost every morning. It’s delicious, but it too has become tiresome and isn’t really sufficient now that fall is upon us.

I think the hardest part about breakfast with dietary restrictions is finding something that is not only filling but nutritious. Getting plenty of protein, vitamins and minerals is just as important (if not more) at breakfast time as it is in any other meal, so why is it that breakfast has become a sort of throw away meal where people feel that toaster pastries and frozen waffles are quality options?

Sure, I could eat cereal for breakfast but pulverized grains smooshed into a flake shape and doused in sugar isn’t really my idea of a healthy balanced meal. Besides, something warm is really what I want right now.

I tried oatmeal, but it just makes me want to fall asleep, and its just a bowl of carbohydrates anyway. So, I started to consider some other grains that I could use in a porridge-y fashion like oatmeal and that would provide me with a decent amount to protein as well. Because I am allergic to quinoa, I decided to give amaranth a shot.

Amaranth is technically the seed of the plant not a grain, so very few people have allergic reactions to it. It is also a complete protein source like quinoa and contains tons of fiber, iron, magnesium, and manganese.

It cooks up very similarly to oatmeal and you can decorate it in much the same way. I personally just dolled it up with some raisins, walnuts, coconut milk, ground flax, and a touch of agave nectar. But here are a few other ideas:

*Add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and maple syrup for a pumpkin pie pudding.
*Stir in a few tablespoons each of almond butter and jelly.
*Saute some sliced apples with butter and cinnamon and stir them into the cooked amaranth along with a spoonful of good honey.
*For a savory twist, cook the amaranth in chicken stock or vegetable broth and stir in some spinach, sauteed mushrooms, and crumbled goat cheese towards the end of cooking.
*Toss in some hemp seeds, goji berries, chia seeds, raw cacao nibs, coconut butter, or any of your other favorite nutrient dense foods

AMARANTH BREAKFAST PUDDING
makes one serving
You can usually find amaranth in the bulk foods section of most well stocked grocery stores

1 cup water
1/2 cup amaranth
coconut, rice, or hemp milk, as needed

1. Bring water to a boil on the stove. Add the amaranth and turn heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
2. When the water has been absorbed, stir in enough milk to make it creamy and add all the fixins you’d like.

But, good things have come around the bend, as well. I’ve got a new project in the works that I am so, so, so excited about! You can get a sneak peak for now, but expect a full-blown coming out party very soon…

And, I am back in the kitchen – more jazzed than ever to be bringing my focus to the folks in our community and around the globe who need help on their path to healing.

Expect big things in the very near future.