Soup's on!

We're having some early snowfall and instead of enjoying the last days of fall foliage and crisp leaves under foot, I get the distinct pleasure of navigating icy puddles of slush and snow...not my idea of late October weather. Alas, there is nothing better to combat the cold, wet, wintry mix than soup. Often, I find myself rummaging my pantry and fridge for ingredients I already have on hand rather than having to brave the horrible onslaughts of stroller-wielding pushy soccer moms with their screaming kids weather.

This time, I found some lonely-looking carrots and fresh ginger root in the crisper drawer as well as about three cups of green lentils left over from a previous recipe. Lentil soup it is!

Soup, particularly lentil soup, easily serves as a blank slate for many variations of spices and cooking styles. A classical-French version, mild and refined, would include leeks and perhaps some thyme. Conversely, bold southwestern flavors could be achieved with the addition of Chipotle peppers (wonderfully potent smoked jalapeno peppers) and fresh cilantro. Given my craving for warmth and spice, as well as the serendipitous availability of fresh ginger root in my fridge, I erred in the direction of pungent, Indian-inspired flavors of coriander and cumin.

The essential strategy for soup is that we attempt to extract as much flavors as possible from fairly humble ingredients. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sautee one chopped medium yellow onion in one tablespoon of canola or olive oil. After about 5 minutes, once the onions are translucent, add one teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander. Its important to allow the spices to toast in the oil for a minute or two. This will allow for the naturally-occurring essential oils to be activated and their flavors will released into the onions as you gently stir them around the pot.

 When the spices and onion mixture becomes fragrant, add two chopped carrots and two teaspoon of sea salt and continue to cook for 4 more minutes until the mixture resembles this:

Next, we can add two tablespoons of grated fresh ginger.

As well as 3 cups of washed, green lentils and one large clove of garlic.  Stir the lentils into the pot and make sure that they are well incorporated with the onions, carrot, and spice mixture.

Next, add two quarts of low-sodium vegetable broth or water. Increase the heat to high and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook at a low simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 35 to 40 minutes.

 Once the lentils are tender, I chose to puree 2 cups of the soup in a food processor so as to achieve a full bodied texture, strewn with pieces of carrots and onion. Please note, if you choose to puree, the soup will thicken considerably, especially on the next day and you may need to adjust the consistency to your liking with up to 2 cups of vegetable broth or water.

Garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, chopped fresh herbs, or enjoy on its own!

Let them eat cake

I find it a bit ironic that since my previous "manifesto of healthy eating" post, I find myself writing about a recipe for cake. All diets are a balancing act of the nutritious and the not; however, cake is certainly warranted on one's birthday. Nevertheless, there are many types of cakes out there such as the Paula Deen-esque butter-sugar-white flour bombs....you know the types: mounds of frosting, heaps of butter...is all of that necessary for a good cake? I mean, come on, a cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs?? And I'm not even mentioning the entire box of confectioner's sugar and 1/2 stick of butter that is called for in the frosting...

So here is my alternative. Obviously, this still cake and not the pinnacle of nutritious eating, but some basic substitutions and reasonable serving sizes allow for this cake to be favorable, moist, and not completely gut-busting.

Firstly, this cake is in the style of "quick bread" as it is leavened with baking powder and baking soda instead of the Genoise style, which uses copious amounts of eggs and egg yolks. Secondly, I use white whole wheat flour for added fiber and a reduced amount of sugar. Thirdly, all of the fat is removed and replaced with unsweetened almond milk, which I find has more body and creaminess than regular skim milk. To amplify the flavor and complement the fillings, I add zest of one lemon and plenty of vanilla extract, thus yielding an aromatic and flavorful cake.

For the cake:

• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
•  2 eggs
• 11/4 cup Almond Milk or regular milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
•  zest of one lemon 

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round springform pan (I use aerosol olive oil spray). To ensure that the springform pan wont leak, line it with foil. 

To make the cake, in a bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, zest, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the eggs, vanilla, and almond milk. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 38 to 42 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove the sides of the spring form pan.

Once the cake is cooled, slice it into three layers using a sharp, serrated knife. To facilitate this process, consider baking the cake the night before or at least 8 hours before the intended time you wish to serve it. Place the cake unsliced in the freezer. When you are ready to assemble the care and prepare the filling, remove the cake from the freezer and allow it to semi-defrost on the counter for 20 minutes.

The cake is much easier to slice into thirds when it is in a semi frozen state and freezing does not compromise the flavor at all, just make sure to wrap the cake tightly in plastic wrap.

In regards to the filling, instead of copious amounts of butter and sugar for the typical butter cream frosting, I opt for lemon curd gently folded into whipped cream to create an airy yet flavorful lemon mousse. The second layer is spread with the remaining unsweetened whipped cream and topped with defrosted-previously frozen raspberries. I prefer the soft texture and the concentrated flavor of the defrosted berries to the fresh berries. Although, fresh berries are used to adorn the top of the cake, secured by a very thin layer of reduced-sugar raspberry jam.

For the Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups of frozen raspberries, defrosted and drained
• 1/2 cup lemon curd (mine is from trader joe's)
• 1 pint of heavy whipping cream

To ensure that your cream will whip, the bowl and the beaters must be very clean and very cold. In fact, I place my bowl and beaters in the freezer for about 30 minutes before I intend to whip the cream. For the filling, pour the pint of cream into a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters for about 4 minutes or until the cream has reached soft peaks. In a separate, smaller bowl,  combine1/2 cup of lemon curd and 2 cups of whipped cream by gently folding the cream and curd together. This will produce the lemon-mousse layer.

Place the bottom cake layer on the intended platter and spread the lemon cream in an even layer. Place the middle cake layer on top and press gently to secure.

On top the middle layer, spread the remaining unsweetened whipped cream and top with the drained and defrosted raspberries. As you can see, draining the juice is an important step to ensure that your cake wont be soggy and the whipped cream will remain whipped.

For the Topping:

• 2 pints of fresh berries such as hulled strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, or black berries.
• 3 tablespoons of jam 

Top the cake with the final layer and spread it with a thin layer of jam. As I used fresh raspberries for the top, I found that the jam not only added a layer of sweetness, but acted as a special "glue" to help secure the fresh berries to the cake. This is your time to be creative: work in concentric circles and top the cake with the berries of choice. As you can see, I chose raspberries and strawberries.

An Experiment

So, here I am. You've found me.

Now that you're here, I suppose we should lay out a background and a mission statement: I have a very complex relationship with food and with cooking. I enjoy food. I love to eat it, cook it, and express my creativity with it. My travel plans abroad often entail which local foods to try and which restaurants to sample. Grocery shopping is fun. I plan what to eat for lunch as I am eating breakfast. Bringing a dish to a potluck or planning a dinner involves meticulous planning and badgering of the husband of what dishes I should make.

Many who know me, my friends, family, co-workers know of this "passion". However, as much fulfillment I am able to derive from all things epicurean, I am constantly trying to balance my identity with other characteristics. I resent being associated as just the "foodie" and I often obsess over the fact that I obsess too much about food.

Another point: I am very vigilant about diet and the types of food I eat. I spent most of my childhood overweight and managed to lose 80 pounds in college, only to regain a significant portion of that weight a few years later. At this point in time, I am healthier, lighter and am steadfast in creating a healthy and balanced relationship with my food.

Borrowing from food philosophies of Mark Bittman and Michael Pollan, I am a conscious of sustainability, health and environmental impacts of the typical western diet. Therefore, my recipes are conceived to be mindful of these factors.

I will use this blog as a food diary, a place were I can express my creativity and demonstrate that healthy and delicious dishes can be relatively easy to create. Moreover, I can send anyone a link to this blog when they inquire, "whats the recipe?"