pumpkin season again...!

Golden leaves, chilly morning, warm scarf and long boots.
The world is autumn now, and I see pumpkins everywhere.

As a baker, it's the season to make lots of pumpkin treats... such as warm pumpkin bread, pumpkin mousse cake and more and more...

I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pies because of those spices, so just baked one with moderate spices and decided to share the recipe with you...!

Hope you find this helpful and the pie will warm up your body and soul♥️

Love,

Kimiko

Mild-Spiced Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Makes 1 pie, using 8 inch pie pan

:: The Crust ::

Dry ingredients;

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup unbleached flour

1/3 cup almond meal

1 pinch sea salt

Wet ingredients;

3 tablespoons safflower oil

4 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 1/2 tablespoons water

safflower oil to brush into the pie pan

:: The Filling ::

3/4 cup cashew

1 tablespoon agar flakes (optional), if the pumpkin comes out runny

2 tablespoons arrowroot

2 cups cooked, peeled and mushed pumpkin, or 1 x 15 oz canned pumpkin puree

1/3 cup soymilk

1/2 cup maple syrup

up to 3 tablespoons maple sugar, depending on the sweetness of the pumpkin

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon white miso

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

spices; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 pinch of clove, you can add more spices if you like.

To make the crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. In a bowl, mix well the dry ingredients with a spatula.

3. In a cup, whisk the wet ingredients.

4. Using the spatula, combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Once the ingredients are put together, knead the dough quickly to form a ball. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.

5. Brush the small amount of safflower oil inside the pie pan. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough to make a circle at least 2 inch larger than the pan. Gently transfer the dough into the pan. Or, you can press down the dough from the center to the edge of the pan with hands. Make sure the dough does not exceed 1/8 inch in thickness through out. Trim off the excess dough and roll out for cookies as garnish. Using a cookie cutter, cut out the dough and place on a baking sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper.

6. Place the pie pan on another baking sheet. Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes and cookies for 15 minutes. Set aside.

To make the filling

1.    Grind the cashew and agar flakes (if using) in a food processer until the cashew is powdered. Add the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth.

To bake the pie

1. Pour the filling mixture into the crust and bake at 350°F for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Let it cool on a cooling rack. Garnish with the cookies and serve.

Happy autumn!

mini buckwheat galette with sweet & savory rhubarb chutney

rhubarb season is right here!
last month, i made green tea pancakes with strawberry rhubarb sauce and it was a big hit.
this time, i wanted to try something on more savory side...

mini buckwheat galette with sweet & savory rhubarb chutney.

it's easy and quick, so perfect on lazy morning when you want to start a day with something special and different.

ingredients: MAKES 4 mini galette

the buckwheat chia seed batter;

(wet)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 1/4 cups soy milk (i used Eden brand original, which is sweetened slightly with brown rice syrup)
1/2 teaspoon safflower oil

(dry)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
fresh thyme leaves from 4 thyme springs
dash of sea salt
safflower oil for cooking galette

the rhubarb chutney;
4~6 stalks of rhubarb, chopped (about 2 cups)
10 dried apricots, chopped
8 green olives, pitted, drained, chopped
12 large basil leaves, chopped
safflower oil for sauteing
2 tablespoons barley miso
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons maple sugar 

1. to make the galette batter, soak the chia seeds in the soy milk in a bowl. in another bowl, mix the buckwheat flour, fresh thyme leaves, and sea salt to combine. whisk the soy milk and chia seeds occasionally, so that the chia seeds don't clump. leave for 20-30 minutes or until the chia seeds form gel.

2. meanwhile, make the filling; the rhubarb chutney...  chop the rhubarb, dried apricots, green olives, and fresh basil leaves.

seasonings; in a small bowl, combine the barley miso, vegan mayo, ketchup, onion powder, and maple sugar.

3. in a small sauce pan, saute the rhubarb with safflower oil over medium high heat about 5 minutes, until rhubarb sweats and outside becomes loosen.  add apricots and olives. 

saute until the rhubarb is soft and fully cooked.  add the seasoning and mix to combine.

add the basil. mix gently to combine and turn off the heat.

4. now, back to the galette batter. add the safflower oil to the wet mixture and whisk once again. mix the wet mixture to the dry mixture and combine.

heat the safflower oil in an old crepe pan. make sure the pan is hot then reduce the heat to low. wipe off any excess oil on the pan. gently pour  the 1/4 of the batter onto the pan. immediately, tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

cook the batter for about 1 minute, until the outer edge is crisp and the surface is dry. scoop 1/4 of the rhubarb chutney on the middle. cook until the bottom is light brown.

5. loosening with a spatula, gently lift up the edge to wrap the filling. leaving the center uncovered, make a square shape. press the corners very gently, so it won't open. repeat 3 more times to make 3 more. Serve hot.

Bon appetit! ;)

summer truffle rice with rainbow radishes & mushrooms

got truffle for free, so decided make something nice ;)  bought truffle oil, and the next day shopped at the greenmarket...
rainbow radishes, mushrooms, and chives! the chives were not flowering yet, so i put them in water.

dry roasting brown rice and wild rice. i didn't have enough time to soak grains over night, so just soaked them for 30 minutes and roasted in a frying pan. this makes rice fluffy, light, and soft after cooked.

making broth. water, kombu, soy sauce, mirin, sea salt.

rice, broth, truffle oil, sea salt.

while the rice is cooking, making truffle chive butter using little pieces of truffle from slicing, chopped chives, vegan butter, etc.

and prepping radishes, radish tops and mushrooms...

cooked rice for 45 minutes, turned off heat and added more truffle and truffle chive butter. let sit for 10 minutes.
meanwhile, quickly sauteed the radishes, mushrooms and radish tops and seasoned with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, etc.

 now the butter has melted and green chives are there...



it was perfectly cooked and smelled truffle all over. the wild rice is nutty and good combo with truffle :)

now on the plate.
bon appetit :D

 

flowering tuscan kale

Hello again spring!
Lots of flowers and herbs are back here in Union Square Greenmarket :D
Something caught my attention was...

Tuscan Kale.
Although this is one of my favorite in Kale family,  I had never seen one flowering, so asked the farmer,
"Is is like broccoli rabe?"
He said, Noooo. It's different. More bitter and very good in sauteing."
My mind was set. It must be good with something salty, sour and garlicky ;)

Went to another farmer. They had beautiful Tatsoi flowers! Wow, taste good. They can be garnish for my dish.

Back home... time to make the paste;
Umeboshi plums♥

Roasted sesame seeds and shiso leaves...
This shiso is also from the Greenmarket.  I got a bunch and they came with roots, so put them in my planter. They keep fresh and growing ;)

They made beautiful and super yummy paste.
Here is how to make...


Flowering Tuscan Kale with Ume Shiso Sesame Paste

:: MAKES 4 servings ::

1 large bunch flowering Tuscan Kale (If not available, broccolini or 1 small bunch broccoli rabe can be used), hard stems trimmed

the paste:

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
2 large umeboshi plums, pitted and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
3 large shiso leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1/2 to 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon ume vinegar

roasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. In a suribachi, grind the sesame seeds using a surikogi until they are ground half way.

2. Add the umeboshi plums,  shiso leaves and garlic and grind until the shiso leaves become small pieces.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and grind until well combined. Set aside.

4. In a large pot or wok, bring water to a boil. (A drop of oil can be added to the water so that the green color of the kale stays vibrant after cooked. ) Add the kale and cook for 10-15 seconds or until the kale turns shiny and beautiful green color. Drain.

5. Cover the kale with a cloth or paper towel and pad dry. Using hands, gently spread the paste evenly on the kale. Cut the kale in 1 1/2 to 2 inch size.

6. Arrange it on your plates, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and serve.

魔法をかけたらこうなりました。。。

Totally taste of spring♥

Basic Seitan Steak

Dear friends;

Thank you all for supporting me and my cookbook page!
I decided to share this with you for this coming holiday season.
Never seen people making seitan this way.
It's going to be a little sensational, I suppose ;)

Hope you will have a nice and warm Thanksgiving!!

love,
kimiko

Basic Seitan Steak

:: MAKES 10 steak ::

1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown rice syrup
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium potato, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1 cube vegetable bouillon (no salt added)
1 teaspoon sea salt
a dash of freshly ground black pepper
4 cups gluten flour
1 cup garbanzo bean flour



1. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients except for the gluten and garbanzo bean flour and mix well with a hand mixer.

2. In a large bowl, combine the gluten and garbanzo bean flour.

3. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and knead until well combined. Divide the dough into 10 pieces.

4. Set a steamer. Add water and bring to a boil. Place a sheet of parchment paper in the steamer and add the seitan on top of the sheet. Cover and steam for about 15 minutes; take the seitan out with the parchment paper and set aside. Repeat the process until the rest of the seitan is done. The seitan can be removed from the parchment paper after steamed and the sheet can be reused for the next batch.

 5. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place a new sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Place the seitan on top of the sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the surface is dry and the bottom of the seitan is slightly brown. Take out the baking sheet and flip the seitan over. Bake for 5 more minutes, Take the seitan out with the baking sheet and allow to cool.

From now on you can slice, cook and enjoy it with your favorite sauces or seasonings. Enjoy!

☯ Seitan can be refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 1 month.

©2012 greenmarket seasons
https://www.facebook.com/GreenmarketSeasonsCookbook

grilled veggie sandwich w cilantro pesto

woke up a little early yesterday and went to union square greenmarket.
I picked rainbow carrots, fairy tale eggplant, candy onions, cilantro w roots, purple basil, yellow and green zucchini.

this morning, made sandwiches for brunch using some of them.
first, made my cilantro pesto:

 grilled my veggies:

grilled some mushrooms and the onions, too.
spread vegan mayo and put vegan cheese on halved country rolls, warmed them up in the oven, spread the pesto, loaded my veggies...

homemade is the best! ;p

pizzeria kitty

Pizza tastes better if we share it with friends and loved ones :)
It's perfect when feeling like staying home and relax on Sunday afternoon.
Especially tomatoes are so beautiful now...

Last Sunday I shopped at local organic stores and got a can of tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, rapini (broccoli rabe), mushrooms, etc.
Back home and started with my tomato sauce...

Made my dough, rolled it out while heating the oven. Prepped the toppings and arranged them on the dough. Baked for 10 minutes... and garnished with the shiso leaves!

Pizza can be enjoyed without tomato sauce.

This one is topped with young garlic, shiitake and eryngii mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and vegan mozzarella. Yum!