Bastille Day – Cherry Clafouti

David holding up the finished product – Cherry Clafouti on Bastille Day!

Last Saturday, David and I made a brunch to celebrate French Independence.  Okay, actually we just used Bastille Day as an excuse to make the most perfect of French recipes – a Cherry Clafouti.  One website listed the definition for clafouti as a rustic French baked dessert made by baking cherries in a custard-like batter similar to pancake batter.  Typically, the clafoutis is made from unpinned cherries which when cooked create a much more intense flavor, but this recipe calls for pitted cherries.  It is quite simply the easiest dessert to make on a whim because it takes very little prep time (everything goes in the blender) or cook time.

David pitting cherries with an opened paper clip.

Cherry Clafouti

From Clean Eating Magazine’s July 2011 issue.  I added the almonds on top, and I think they make the recipe perfect.  Enjoy! 🙂

The finished product puffed up right out of the oven – it will deflate!

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sucanat, divided

3/4 cup almond milk

1/2 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

olive oil cooking spray

30 cherries, pitted

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Mix batter ingredients in blender, …

Preheat oven to 425.  Place eggs, egg whites, all but 1 Tbsp of sucanat, flour, milk, almond extract, and salt in blender and combine.  Heat cast iron skillet on medium high.  Spray skillet with cooking spray and throw in cherries and remaining Tbsp of sucanat; when sucanat begins to melt (45 seconds), pour batter over cherries.  Top with almonds and place skillet on middle rack in oven.  Bake for 20 minutes until center is set.  Serve warm.

…cook cherries until sucanat begins to melt,…

…pour the batter over the cherries and bake in oven…

The finished product – post deflation!

Overnight in Charlotte – Plum Crumble

Me as “Bustopher Jones” (the foodie cat) during dress rehearsal last week for CATS (pre-makeup).

It’s been a busy summer full of theatre.  First it was directing and music directing The Fantasticks for the Mesa Repertory Theatre; and most recently it has been music directing and performing in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats for Broadway at the Avalon.  As the summer break rushes to its all-too-soon ending marking the imminent return to school, I finally have some free time to do some much needed traveling.

So today, I hopped on a plane for a three-week trip to visit my dear friend Terril in Rome and Calcatta, Italy. I had hoped that I would wake up tomorrow morning having just landed in Rome and beginning my Italian adventure of food, friends, and great fun.  Instead, due to “an hour-long deluge” that caused my plane and many others to circle for nearly an hour before re-routing to Greenboro for a refuel, I am sitting in an EconoLodge in Charlotte waiting for another 24-hours of  travel beginning tomorrow morning at 9am.

As I was eating my dinner at the nearby Cracker Barrel (my selections were limited to either that or the Waffle House next door), I flashed back to last night.  After we successfully closed and struck the set for Cats, my friend Gene came over to hang out while I packed and to help me empty out the fridge.

Gene cutting up plums for this Crumble recipe.

We quickly set to work to making this beautiful, colorful, and tasty Plum Crumble.  I remember it fondly after my mostly brown and fried meal of chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra, biscuits, and sweet tea.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Me mixing up Plum Crumble crust.

Plum Cobbler

This recipe is another wonderful recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.  I have made it a few times this summer and have frequently decided to use the juice of the whole lemon rather than the half that is called for in the recipe – this is a mistake making the dish entirely too tart.  Enjoy! 🙂

Fresh out of the oven!

4 large plums, pitted and sliced (I used 6 because I had 6 – there were 3 red and 3 white/yellow)

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp raw honey

1/2 cup spelt flour, divided

1/2 cup oats

3 Tbsp sucanat

2 Tbsp coconut butter spread

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 375.  Place plums in an 8×8 baking dish and drizzle with lemon juice, vanilla, honey, and 1 Tbsp flour.  Toss to coat.  In a medium bowl, combine remaining flour, oats, sucanat, butter spread, and cinnamon.  Blend together with pastry blender until crumbly.  Spread mixture evenly over plums.  Bake on middle rack in oven until golden – 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly; I like to serve it topped with coconut milk ice cream.

Topped with a scoop of coconut milk ice cream!

Simple Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam and Wheat Biscuits

The longer I live, the more I find little agreements I have made with myself that I didn’t even realize existed.  For example, I spent all of my life having made the agreement that “Making jam is a very difficult and nearly impossible feat to accomplish.  And canning?  Well, just forget about it…nearly impossible.”  I don’t know where I picked up these ideas along the way – little snippets of parts of conversations between women in my life, maybe?

I had started rewriting this agreement with myself this past Holiday when Bon Appetit Magazine gave a simple recipe for Cranberry/Pepper Jelly.  I made it; it was incredibly simple to make and was so tasty that I made another batch a few weeks later.  This past March or April, I noticed another remarkably simple and clean recipe for Strawberry Jam.  I made it a few times using up the pounds of strawberries I froze last summer.  The recipe was so easy and a smash hit amongst the brunch crowd.  I even tried it with the blueberries I had frozen – took them longer to cook down, but very tasty.

Despite the fact that I had made several batches of jellies and jams over the last six months, I had yet to actually can a batch for preservation…until yesterday.  I had spent several weeks reading up on canning techniques in The Joy of Cooking and had purchased everything necessary for the process – pressure-cooker, jars, lids, and accessories.  And in about two hours, I had sealed cans of red beauty!  I love strawberries; and these jars will go a long way to carrying this beautiful summer and its bounty into the coming dark winter months.

My recipe journal entry for Strawberry Jam.

This is a recipe from either the March or April 2012 edition of Bon Appetit Magazine; they explained that the sour granny smith is so high in pectin that it naturally jells the jam.  Consequently, I used a honeycrisp apple once, and it did not set nearly as well.  I changed this recipe to use sucanat (evaporated cane juice) instead of refined white sugar.  For canning, I used half sucanat and have pure cane sugar.  For canning, I also used bottled lemon juice rather than fresh.  I doubled the recipe today and canned about 32 ounces, so this recipe as written should yield around 16 ounces.  My best calculations leave a serving of this jam at 1.5 Tbsp for 1 Weight Watchers point.  This is one healthy, clean, and simple recipe; Enjoy! 🙂

1 lb. fresh strawberries (you can also used frozen, thawed) hulled, quartered

2/3 cup sugar (see note above about substitutions)

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely grated

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Combine strawberries and sugar in a large heavy skillet.  Stir in apples and cook on medium-high, stirring to help sugar dissolve and strawberries to break down.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes until jam thickens.  Stir in lemon juice and transfer to jars.  Allow to cool, then cover and chill until set (about 2 hours).  Keep chilled; serve within 2 weeks.

If you decide to can this jam, please refer to canning guides for safety and use substitutions mentioned above.

All the ingredients coming to a simmer…

…and getting ready to go in the jar!

Black Bean Salad

For Memorial Day today, I had The Best Clean Burger with Non-Dairy Ranch Sauce, Quinoa ad Vegetable Salad with Tahini Dressing, and Black Bean Salad. I tried out a few recipes today – I’ll be sharing them with you later this week.

So, here’s the first part of the recipe breakdown from Monday’s Memorial Day Feast:

A little over a week ago, I went to have dinner at my friends Melonie and Steve’s house.  We had such a great time sitting on their lovely refinished patio sipping homemade mojitos (yum!) and munching on this Black Bean Salad (“Why are there no pictures?” you may ask.  Unfortunately, the answer is, “My camera is missing.”:( )

Before I left, I asked Melonie for the recipe for the black bean salad.  She walked me through her process, but was quick to explain that it is different every time depending on what is in the fridge.  I didn’t hesitate in trying it out on Monday.  Although there are a few slight differences, I think this is pretty close to Mel’s version.

Thanks for the inspiration, Mel!  I hope Texas isn’t too humid. 🙂

I threw all the ingredients in, put the lid on, and shook it up. Or I guess you could just stir it.

My friend Mel served this as a dip with tortilla chips, and I prefer it that way.  However, this is such a fresh and tasty summer dish that you could easily use it as a side dish if you like.  Although there are a few slight differences, I think this is pretty close to Mel’s version.  Feel free to experiment, though – I certainly did! Enjoy! 🙂

1 15oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 15oz. can of whole kernel corn (drained)

1 avocado (peeled, pitted, and cubed)

1 cup of pico de gallo

1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and diced small)

1 onion (I used a half of a leftover red onion and a green onion – chopped)

1 handful of cilantro (chopped)

Combine. Serve. Enjoy. 🙂

Happy Memorial Day!

For Memorial Day today, I had The Best Clean Burger with Non-Dairy Ranch Sauce, Quinoa ad Vegetable Salad with Tahini Dressing, and Black Bean Salad. I tried out a few recipes today – I’ll be sharing them with you later this week.

The Alchemist’s Return!

Joey and Desmond on their visit to the Alchemist’s Kitchen last month.

Hopefully, you noticed the absence of my blog entries since early April.  You’ve possibly been tearing out your hair while you searched the interwebs for signs of my return to the collective kitchen, begging for more to eat than just stale bread and gruel.  Maybe you’ve at least missed me a little bit during this past month of meetings, finals, grades, and starting a new theatre company (the Mesa Repertory Theatre) that kept me from my stove.

Either way, I’ve certainly missed being in my kitchen and sharing food.  The final straw came in the form of a text from my friend Joey a few days ago.  Joey wrote:

“I had a long crazy dream about your egg pepper burrito brunch meal I always have at your house!  you should send me your specific directions and recipe :)”

The “egg pepper burrito brunch meal” of which Joey texted.

The “egg pepper burrito brunch meal” he was referring to was my recipe for Huevos Rancheros.  I laughed and put a post-it on my brain as a  reminder to find the recipe’s hyper link and forward it to Joey.

The post-it must have fallen off.  I received this text message this morning from Joey:

“I hope I did not offend you asking for that recipe.  I only ask because I love it so :)”

Of course, it didn’t offend me, but it sure reminded me that it was time to be more mindful of my food again.  To be honest, not only have I been wrapped up in my busy work schedule, but I haven’t very mindful of my food either.  I have been living and eating at work, not at home – and that is always a bad sign of impending weight gain for me.  Joey’s text reminded me that it was time to be mindful of my physical energy source again – to be mindful of the friends that I so enjoy dining and sharing my life with – to be mindful of my body and my breath – to be mindful in all things.

So, the Alchemist is in the kitchen, and the kitchen is open again!  I’ve had a couple of great food and recipe adventures in the past month that I’ll be sharing over the next few days, but in the meantime, check out the Huevos Rancheros recipe and the adjoining blog Huevos and Hitchhikers.  Both

are great, and this “egg pepper burrito brunch meal” would make a great and easy start to your Memorial Day celebrations tomorrow!

Fish Tacos from Fresh Seabass!

Fish Tacos (sea bass) with fresh guacamole, red cabbage, and pico de gallo.

Grand Junction is a nice place to live for a foodie like me – at least for a city of its size and location.  There are plenty of interesting, locally-owned restaurants and several of them share menus that celebrate world cuisine.  We have a wonderful farming community and great produce in our grocery stores.  Quality foods and healthy eating are easily accomplished here.

The one thing that I would complain about is the availability of fresh seafood.  We are fairly landlocked, after all.  I visit friends in Seattle and New York frequently and always look forward to going through the markets and butcher shops to see all the abundance of fresh fish.

I was moaning over my cravings to a friend recently, and he suggested that I check out Fisher’s Market Premium Natural Meats.  I was so shocked that I hadn’t heard of it, but even more so when I walked in and saw the bustling store with 3 displays of meats from filet mignon to locally-made sausages.   The last case held the seafood, which late on a Saturday had been picked over but still boasted some beautiful sea bass.  I had my heart set on making fish tacos with halibut, but settled on the beautiful white sea bass instead.  (I also picked out a lovely brisket for a recipe tomorrow – stay tuned.)

The staff at Fisher’s were so friendly and helpful; and the fish was unbelievable!!!  I could smell the freshness the moment I opened the package at home, and it was reflected in the rich buttery flavor!  I was in heaven!

Fresh sea bass from Fisher's Market.

Fish Tacos

1 lb white fish fillet (cut into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes)

cornmeal

chipotle chile powder

salt

1 egg

1 egg white

corn tortillas

red cabbage

pico de gallo

lime

guacamole or avocado slices (optional)

 

Mix cornmeal, chile powder, and salt together (to taste).  Beat eggs together.  Dip and coat each filet in cornmeal mixture, then into the egg mixture, then back into the cornmeal mixture.  Eat skillet on medium; heat oil.  Cook fish in small batches until browned outside (about 4 minutes).  Warm up corn tortillas and serve with red cabbage, pico de gallo, and lime.

Beans and Homemade Cornbread!

Cornbread - fresh out of the oven; it sits next to my original recipe which called for 1% buttermilk.

Southern Corn Bread (dairy-free)

Yesterday, in the midst of my cooking extravaganza, I made a pot of pinto beans (from my friend Mel’s recipe) and a batch of my own recipe for Southern Corn Bread.  It is actually a recipe from The Joy of Cooking (p.632) that I have adjusted to meet my own dietary specifications; as far as cornbread goes, this is pretty healthy.  Enjoy!:)

Into the hot coconut oil in the pre-heated cast iron skillet and ready for the oven.

 

1 tsp coconut oil (you could use most anything – butter, olive oil, shortening, etc)

1 3/4 cup cornmeal (I use stone ground medium grind)

1 tbsp sucanat

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 egg whites

1 egg

1 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup soy yogurt

 

Preheat oven to 450. Put coconut oil in cast iron skillet and place in oven; skillet is ready when oil starts to smoke.  In large bowl, combine cornmeal, sucanat, baking powder, baking soda, and salt with a wire whisk.  In a medium bowl, combine eggs, almond milk, and yogurt.  Pour into dry mixture and combine.  Remove skillet from oven and pour cornbread mixture into the skillet.  Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Beans (slow cooked with onions and a pork shank) and Southern Cornbread (dairy-free).

Loving My Art; Missing My Kitchen

Grilled Chicken, zucchini, broccoli, onion, and mushroom on Rice Noodles with Soy Sauce from YOSHI BOWL.

Rehearsing a large-scale musical is always at least somewhat hectic.  The show that we are currently in rehearsal for is a “new” George Gershwin musical called Crazy for You – a large cast, large costume plot, large sets, and a large script and score filled with one song-and-tap number after another.  Several of us have taken to lovingly referring to it as Crazy for All of Us. 🙂

Musical theatre can become a bit all-encompassing; especially for someone who enjoys his job as much as I do.  Add on all the other stuff that is par for the academic course, and twelve hours will fly by before I have even recognized it.   And when I’m in the weeds, it is inevitable that my eating habits take a nose dive.  Fortunately, the main reason I chose this month to take a clean eating challenge, was to purposefully push myself to maintain responsibility of my eating habits through the last three weeks of production.

So far, so good; though it is definitely becoming more difficult the busier I get.  I haven’t had time to cook anything since Saturday morning!  I am starting to go a little crazy; it is amazing how meditative I find cooking.  Cooking does a great deal to keep me mentally, spiritually, and nutritionally balanced.  On the bright side, I received an e-mail yesterday from Clean Eating Magazine.  Five or six months ago, I applied to the magazine to become one of their Reader Recipe Testers.  Their e-mail today was inviting me to e-mail a photo for the final round.  My understanding is that I will be receiving a recipe to test and write about to hopefully be published in the magazine!  I’m beside myself; I can’t wait.

Fortunately, I’ve still been making wise clean eating decisions.  Yesterday, I had a late (3pm) lunch of tasty and mostly clean sushi from our University Center; and for dinner, I ate at Yoshi Bowl.  They were very knowledgeable about the ingredients in their sauces and were able to help me maneuver around my food intolerances.  In the end, I created the dish above – Rice Noodles with Grilled Chicken, Zucchini, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Onion with Soy Sauce.  Yum 🙂

Brunch on the Fly!

I woke up late (nine whole hours of sleep!), I laid in bed for an hour flipping through the new Clean Eating Magazine.  I had barely got myself dressed by the time David arrived for brunch and still had no idea what to make.  I quickly flipped through a new dairy-free cookbook and quickly received a quick inspiration.  I had a short amount of time before I needed to meet Mel at work, so I hopped to work creating this new recipe from the inspiration in the book – all-in-all, it only took about 30 minutes to make – perfect for tomorrow morning (Sunday – or any other day, depending on when you are reading this).  It was unbelievably tasty; full of flavor and filling!  Enjoy 🙂

PS – I served them up with this tasty dairy-free, whole wheat biscuit recipe from last week.

Whole Wheat Biscuits (dairy-free) heading into the oven!

Clean Curry Hash-brown Patty with Egg Scramble

1 tsp olive oil

2 potatoes (skinned and grated in the food processor)

salt & pepper

1/8 tsp curry powder (I’ll probably use a 1/4 next time)

cooking spray

5 eggs

mushrooms (sliced)

onion (chopped)

1/4 cup rice cheese, mozzarella-flavored

In a food processor, grate the potatoes.  Then, strain and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the potato mass; pat dry with a paper towel to remove starch.  Stir salt, pepper, and curry into the grated potatoes, mixing well.  Heat a heavy skillet with oil.  Put half of the mixture in a ball in the center of skillet and press down into a patty with a spatula.  Cook for 10 minutes, flipping once.  Place patty on a plate with a paper towel and keep warm.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl and salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet with a spray of cooking spray and saute onions for 3-4 minutes and then add mushrooms for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in eggs and scramble.  When eggs are almost cooked, add rice cheese and stir into eggs.  Place one hash-brown patty on a plate and top with half of scrambled egg mixture.  Serves two.

Curry Hash-brown Patty with Egg Scramble