Fresh Veggies

Fresh Veggies
great produce=Great eating

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Vegetable Noodle Soup; Chickpea Hommus; Smoked Eggplant & Tahini Dip; Vegetable and cheese "strudels"; Strawberry and apple "Crisp" topped with oatmeal cookie dough, Photos of Prep for tomorrow's deliveries

Fingerling potatoes, eggplants, carrots, celery and red bell peppers

Fresh Strawberries for the cookie dough topping

Sprouted Green peas for the vegetable noodle soup

Vegetable filling for the strudels


previous 2 the vegetable noodle soups




Chickpea Hummus

Smoked eggplant dip

Poached apples and strawberries in sauce and topped with oatmeal cookie dough then baked at 350F for 35 mins

Cheese and vegetable strudels

Oatmeal, pecan and raisin cookies

Sunday, March 27, 2016

WHOLE WHEAT "DAFFODIL BREADS"; VEGAN NEW MEXICAN STYLE HOMINY AND PLANTAIN STEW; VEGAN CAULIFLOWER, GINGER AND POTATO CURRY; TOMATO BISQUE..PHOTOS OF PREP FOR TOMORROW'S DELIVERIES

WHOLE WHEAT BUN DOUGH WITH TURMERIC, CANDIED LEMON & ORANGE PEEL AND GRATED FRESH MEYER LEMON

THE BASE FOR THE NEW MEXICAN STYLE (SMOKED PAPRIKA IN PLACE OF NM CHILI POWDER) WITH WHITE HOMINY, YAMS, PINTO BEANS AND PLANTAINS

POTATO, GINGER AND CAULIFLOWER CURRY


BREAD DOUGH FIRST PROVING

NEW MEXICAN STYLE VEGETABLE STEW WILL BE SERVED WITH QUINOA


PREVIOUS 2 THE BREADS OUT OF OVEN AND DRYING/COOLING

THE YOGURT TOPPED TOMATO AND SMOKED PAPRIKA BISQUE
It is Easter Sunday in a nice and fairly cool Los Angeles...hoping for rain later this week, fingers crossed.
I have made a daffodil bread so named as it is bright yellow; traditionally an Easter bread it is usually rolled into 3 strand braids with colored boiled eggs in the top, mine has cornmeal and candied and grated fresh Meyer lemon, and is truly a magical loaf...very deep citrus and spice flavors.
Happy & Safe Easter/ Celebration of Spring, folks.
Also 2 heart warming  and mildly spiced vegetable stews, both Vegan; and a chunky basilly tomato soup made with roasted tomatoes and smoked paprika, BOTH SERVED WITH EITHER QUINOA WITH YAMS OR RICE WITH TOMATO SAUCE AND RAISINS.





 

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

ONE A PENNY, 2 A PENNY , HOT CROSS BUNS...THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE FOR WHOLEWHEAT HOT CROSS BUNS..ENJOY THE PHOTOS OF MY 3 DAYS OF BAKING SO FAR THIS WEEK

WHOLEWHEAT DOUGH MADE WITH FRESH EGGS, DAIRY BUTTER, CANE SUGAR, YEAST, WATER, GROUND CLOVES, GROUND ALLSPICE AND GROUND NUTMEG. TOPPED WITH RAISINS, CHOPPED CANDIED LEMON AND ORANGE PEEL AND GRATED FRESH ORANGE AND LEMON PEEL.

USING A SHARP SERRATED KNIFE, CUT  SHALLOW CROSSES ACROSS THE BUNS BEFORE PROVING, (THE CUTS WILL GET DEEPER AS THE BUNS PROVE) THEN PIPE A MIX OF WATER, ALL PURPOSE FLOUR AND VANILLA OR ALMOND EXTRACT, THROUGH THE CUTS. BAKE IN A 400F OVEN FOR 20-25 MINS.



IMMEDIATELY AS THE BUNS COME OUT OF THE OVEN, BRUSH WITH A SIMPLE SYRUP MADE WITH  EQUAL SUGAR AND WATER SIMMERED WITH LEMON AND ORANGE PEELS ( I USE THE SYRUP FROM MAKING MY OWN CANDIED PEEL). THEN COOL ON A WIRE RACK



THESE ARE STICK SHAPED/HOT DOG ROLL SHAPED, AND DECORATED WITH PIPED WAVES.. EASIER TO HOLD FOR SMALLER HANDS


I CAN NEVER MAKE ENOUGH OF THESE WONDERFUL SPICED-FRUITED AND STICKY BUNS, I HAVE BEEN BAKING FOR 3 DAYS AND WILL PROBABLY MAKE ANOTHER BATCH ON THURSDAY.
You may use regular all purpose, or 50:50 wholewheat & all purpose; even a good GF flour blend will work well!
THE ONLY PLACE YOU WILL FIND THE RECIPE IN IN MY eBook


BAKING A NAME FOR YOURSELF  only available on 
www.amazon/kindle.com
 You don't need a kindle reader as you can get a free viewer app when you buy the book.
Check  it out it is the 9th recipe in the book and the book is just $8

HAPPY SPRING AND HAPPY BAKING,
John Nigel Crook





Sunday, March 20, 2016

3 DECONSTRUCTED " LASAGNA'S" 2 VEGETARIAN AND ONE VEGAN; VEGAN GOLDEN VEGETABLE SOUP; STAWBERRY THUMBPRINT COOKIES; WHOLE WHEAT BREAD WITH CRANBERRIES AND LEMON; WHOLE WHEAT BREADS WITH SPICES, CANDIED LEMON PEEL, RAISINS AND GRATED FRESH LEMON ( SORT OF A HOT CROSS BUN DOUGH) PHOTOS OF PREP AND BEGINNING OF BAKING BREADS FOR EASTER ORDERS..ALL PHOTOS ( PLUS HOW TO CANDY PEEL & PREPARE A SUGAR SYRUP FOR GLAZING THE BUNS.

FILLING FOR THE VEGETABLES AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS, MADE WITH GLUTEN-FREE CORN TORTILLAS

THE GOLDEN VEGETABLE SOUP BASE

ABOVE AND BELOW, BLACK BEAN CHILI FOR THE PERUVIAN DECONSTRUCTED "LASAGNA..LAYER OF COOKED POTATO SLICES & BLACK BEAN CHILI WITH CILANTRO..bake in oven like a traditional lasagna


STEAMED EGGPLANTS AND ZUCCHINI WITH A MARINARA SAUCE AND COOKED PASTA, THIS WILL BE LAYERED WITH GRATED CHEESE AND TOPPED WITH SAUTEED BEL PEPPERS, BABY ROMA TOMATOES AND WHITE SQUASH..bake in oven like a traditional lasagna

The potato and cilantro topped Peruvian Deconstructed Lasagna

The topping for the pasta lasagna

The cheese and vegetable enchiladas ready for baking in oven like a traditional lasagna

The pasta bake topped with fresh basil leaves

Blended Golden Vegetable soup

Freshly grated lemon for the whole wheat and Easter Breads, will be mixed with candied fruit and dried raisins


Cooking fresh orange and lemon halves (remove the juice) in boiling water for 3 hours, then add as much sugar as there is water in the pan and simmer for 2  more hours)

Own candied peel ( this is from last year)

all butter strawberry thumbprint cookies


Drain the citrus halves and allow to dry in oven on pilot light only for  4-8 days ( these will be used for Christmas baking) the remaining syrup is used to brush on the hot breads and buns as they come out of the oven.

Cookies and wholewheat and cranberry bread




Previous 4 the spice and citrus Wholewheat Easter breads, also glazed with the citrus simple syrup..wrap in wax paper and freeze when they are fully cold. The recipe for these breads is in my bread recipe book "BAKING A NAME FOR YOURSELF"ONLY on amazon kindle, www.amazon.com/kindle



I love springtime..everything is blooming in Southern California in fact it is like we are in early summer in the gardens.
This whole wheat rich egg bread with spices and citrus is one of my all time best sellers, I can never make enough.
originally they were produced to end the Christian Lent and used fresh butter, eggs and milk...these do not contain milk and are fanastic just sliced and buttered or toasted and served with soft boiled eggs..another tradition for Good Friday.

The 3 deconstructed lasagnas are:

Mexican Style enchiladas with corn tortillas in place of pasta.


The Peruvian potato, black bean chili layer  ( did you know that Peru produces over 360 varietieis of potato?)


A pasta bake with cheese, cooked pasta, marinara sauce and topped with sauteed white squash, baby Roma tomatoes and  green bell pepper.

All layered and all to be baked as with lasagna.