It's a curry kind of day.

Today was one of those horrible days.  You know the ones where it's not quite winter, not still fall, and has an air of the never ending spring rain?  Really, a fairly common kind of day out here in Nova Scotia, but I was raised an Ontario girl, and I just can't seem to adapt to this weather.  Seven years and I still cringe when it arrives.  It makes me wish I could hop on a plane and head somewhere warm, really, somewhere HOT would be even better.  Matters only become worse, when I realize that it was one year ago today that I came back from a lovely trip to Australia.  Why did I come back?

With the weather the way it is - slushy snow coming down horizontally - all I wanted was something warm and comforting for supper.  What I really wanted was a fantastic Thai Chicken and Noodle soup I ate a few years ago.  Sadly, I have no chicken, no noodles, and no stock in the house right now.  Heck, if I know that  The Italian Gourmet would have some available, and it was by some amazing chance gluten-free, I would have braved the crazy drivers and headed downtown to get some.  Alas, people can't drive, and I know it is not GF, so I headed straight home after work.

After I spent a few minutes staring blankly into my cupboards, I finally clued in that I had coconut milk and curry paste.  So, I satisfied my craving with a hearty bowl of "Thai" green curry.  It's most likely not actually authentic, but it's pretty darn good.  I don't yet make my own paste, I have a few recipes to try, I just haven't made it that far.  Feel free to make it if you can, or pick up a pre-made paste from the grocer.  You don't have to use Green Curry paste, you could use Red, or Yellow.  I like all of them, so I keep them in the freezer in a mini ice cube tray so I can use what I want, when I want. 

"Thai" Curry

1 can coconut milk

1 Tbsp curry paste, more or less according to taste 

1 tsp coconut oil

1/2 green pepper, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

6 large mushrooms, sliced

1 large carrot, sliced

1/2 bunch of kale, sliced

2 large handfuls of unsalted cashews

In a large sauce pan or wok, heat the oil over med-high heat.  When beginning to pop add the curry.  Stir until fragrant.  Add in all veggies except the kale.  Stir for a minute or two, to coat with paste. 

When veggies are evenly coated in the paste, add 1/2 the coconut milk.  Stir and bring to boil.  Leave to simmer a few minutes.  

Add kale, cashews and remaining coconut milk.  Bring back to a boil, and simmer until kale is wilted.  

Serve over a bed of rice to soak up some of the rich sauce.  

Makes enough for two main courses.

Gluten Free Bread with an unexpected twist

I was never a huge fan of bread.  I didn't like most sandwiches.  White bread always seemed to get soggy, and whole wheat was just too strong tasting.  I guess I was spoiled at a young age by living in Europe where they know how to make a good bread.  I'm afraid North Americans still have a little ways to go.  So, really, going gluten-free was almost like a blessing...suddenly I had a legitimate reason to not eat bread, beyond the "I don't like it" one.  No longer do people sound shocked that I'm passing bread up, ironically they just feel sorry for me.  

But,  just because I'm just not a fan, that doesn't mean I hate it.  I loved grilled cheese sandwiches and panini's.  Oh, the gooey cheese, and the crispy bread.  The layer of butter or oil on that lovely crunchy crust.  That I miss.  So finally, I began my search for a wonderful GF bread.  I'd heard all the horror stories of store bought, and I'm going to say, I agree.  None of that pre-packaged bread for me.  So I started searching through blogs (for some great GF bread baking tips, please seethe following advice from Shauna AKA Gluten Free Girl and Karina the Gluten Free Goddess. Surely someone has found a GREAT recipe.  I've tried a few different ones, and I still have a few I'm curious about.  But the other week, I found THE bread.  Here I go loving something else for Gluten-Free Mommy, but wow, it's good.  What is this bread I speak of, none other than her Whole Beer Bread.  And to top off having a great recipe, there are a load of bread backing tips.  Only problem is, here in Nova Scotia (and perhaps Canada in general) we don't have GF beer.  This means I can only get it when I go the States.  Which really, is only ever year or two.  I must limit my bread enjoyment it would seem.

Well, not if I get creative!  What can I use in place of GF beer.  I thought of using Ginger Beer, in particular the fantastic local one we have by Propeller, but that didn't seem quite right - I still might give it a try though.  Besides, I didn't have any in the house, and I wanted  bread now.  What else might work?  Root beer?  Eww, I hate that stuff.  Club Soda?  Might be a little flat tasting.  Same with mineral water.  Finally I realized that I have one type of soda/fizzy drink in the house right now anyway.  Coke.  Though I was worried it would make for a very sweet bread.  Take out some sugar, and away I went.  

Oh. My. God.  It's just as good as Natalie's.  Heck, I like this stuff better than any real bread I've ever tried, and that's saying a lot, considering I grew up on delicious European breads!  I can eat bread whenever I want now, and so can you if you don't have access to GF beer.

Coca Cola Bread

1/2 cup arameth flour

1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1 cup arrowroot

1 cup sweet rice flour

1/4 cup almond meal

3 tsp xanthan gum

2 Tbsp molasses

1 whole egg

3 egg whites

6 Tbsp melted butter, unsalted

1 can of Coke, at room temperature  *I used Coke Zero, though I'm sure you could also use any type of Coke, Pepsi or generic brand

2 1/2 tsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

1/4 warm water

In a small bowl combine the yeast, sugar and warm water.  Leave to sit and proof.

In a large bowl whisk together all dry ingredients.  If you have a stand mixer (I'm very jealous let me tell you!) combine dry ingredients in the mixer bowl.

In another bowl combine remaining ingredients, minus the can of coke.

Once the yeast is all bubbly and happy, add it to the dry ingredients and combine well.  Once well combined add in the molasses mixture and mix thoroughly.  Finally pour in the room temperature coke and mix until you have a dough the consistency of a thick, stiff cake batter.

Scoop batter into a greased loaf tin, cover with a damp dish cloth and let rise until about doubled in size.  I like to bring my oven to the lowest temperature setting and the leave the pan in for between 30-45 minutes.  The temperature and humidity can and will affect rising times.

Once doubled in size, bake at 350 F from 55 minutes until a deep golden brown and it sounds hollow when knocked on.  Let cool, slice and enjoy!

Liquid Pie

Last month I took a day trip down to the Valley and while I was there I picked up a pie pumpkin (also called a sugar pumpkin).  The thought process behind this purchase was something like this, "I've never bought a cooking pumpkin before...what does one do with one of these?  Hum, maybe I should get one to make homemade pie.   Yes, I like pie, this is a good idea."  Hence, I came home with a pie pumpkin.  

As I've already mentioned, I didn't even make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving this year.  Nope, I went crazy and made Butternut Squash Pie.  So, I came home from work today, and realized that my poor pumpkin was STILL sitting on my table.  Everything else from that trip had been long eaten, and well, it just looked lonely and neglected.  Time to finally do something.

What did I do?  I roasted it.  After peeling the darn thing, which may have involved several curse words, and a trip to the store for a new veggie peeler because the one in my kitchen was so dull that it wouldn't take of the peel!  Oh, but the time it was peeled I was ready to throw it out the window and watch it smash to the ground 6 stories below.  I didn't.  I persevered.  Next step, cutting it in half.  This was easy, things are looking up!  Next, removing the seeds and guts.  Not so easy.  More curse words, dropped spoons, and scared cats.  I'm not a quiet complainer, and the older one seems to think he's in trouble if I so much as raise my voice at ANYTHING.  Well, I eventually even succeeded at that.  So, I chopped up my pumpkin and roasted it at 450 F for about 40 min.

Now, what does one lady do with all that pumpkin?  I still haven't' figured out what one does with pumpkin besides make pie.  And I sure as heck wasn't sitting down to make a pie after all that drama.  So finally, I had a thought - shocker, me of all people, having a thought...hehe - and I whipped out my blender.  The rest, as they say, is history.  

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1 cup roasted pumpkin

1 1/2 cups vanilla almond milk

1 Tbsp organic cane sugar

1 Tbsp molasses

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.  Pour into 2 glasses and serve.

As always adjust spices and sweetness to your own personal liking.

Lemonade

I always feel sad at the passing off Summer.  And while I know that it officially ended almost a month ago now, Nova Scotia is known for it's lovely warm Fall.  Heck, they are normally better than the actual Summer was!  As a result, up until very recently I was still pretending that we were in the full throws of Summer.

However, today when I headed out, I not only grabbed my vest - which I sometimes need DURING the Summer months, but also a pair of gloves.  I suppose this means that even out here we are truly and well into the Autumnal months.  

So, while the trees turn many vibrant colors, and my cats stop wanting to play on the deck, in my apartment I'm going to continue to pretend it's Summer.  How?  By dreaming of hot days at town fairs, and sipping cool, fresh Lemonade!

Fresh Town Fair Style Lemonade

1 glass (~12 oz.) water

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp organic cane sugar *

ice cubes

Combine all ingredients in a martini shaker.  Shake until well combined and chilled.  Pour into glass, sip, and imagine those lovely Summer days.

* this makes a sweet lemonade.  If you are partial to a tart lemonade, decrease sugar to 1 Tbsp.  You could also try switching this with various sweeteners.  Find a taste that you like best.

Cheese + Butternut Squash = Deliciousness

Up until very recently I had considered all squash as a savory food.  In my mind, pumpkin and squash are two very different things!  Squash is such a great fall food.  It's abundant, inexpensive, and pretty darn good.  Don't tell my Mom I just said that!  Growing up I used to abhor squash.  I'd avoid it, I wouldn't eat it, I'd complain.  I suspect Mom still thinks that squash and I are the best of enemies.  That being said, I'm reformed!

See, a few weeks ago, I was poking around on various food sites, looking for a delicious sounding, yet fairly simple pumpkin pie recipe, when somehow I stumbled upon this recipe for Butternut Squash Pie.  It was just different enough, and simple enough that I simply HAD to try it.  I made two changes, one intentional, the other, not so intentional.  We'll talk about the one that leads to the actual reason behind this post!  

For some reason I thought that I needed to use the whole cooked squash.  And thought I was cheating when I gave up after scooping out around 4-5 cups.  Everything else was the same amount as in the recipe, but that doubling of squash, resulted in a bunch of left over filling.  And it was such a good filling, I needed to find a use for it.  Hence the cheese.

Butternut Squash Cheesecake

For the crust: 

1/2 cup crystallized ginger, made into a paste * I used my little coffee grinder for this

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup pecan meal

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/8 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients and press into a spring form pan.

For the Filling:

275 g Marscapone cheese

275 g Ricotta cheese, press out water

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

2 eggs

2 cups butternut squash mixture (use the one from Canadian Living, or make the mistake I did, and get both a pie and cheesecake from the deal!)

1/4 cup almond meal

Cream together both cheese and sugar.  When fluffy, beat in eggs, one at a time.

Fold in butternut squash mixture and almond meal.  Taste to see if needs any more spices and add as necessary.

Gently pour over top of pecan crust and smooth.  Bake in middle of oven preheated to 350 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Allow this cheesecake to cool fully before eating.  As tempting as it is to dig in right away, the texture improves as it cools.  

Serve, preferably with some fresh whipped cream, or even a maple syrup reduction.