CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TOFFEE

It has been a busy cookbook season! I spent last night reading through the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Cookbook and am revisiting everything I have bookmarked in Aran’s Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple while it is rainy this week and we can work on some baking projects. If you eat gluten free, by need or choice, Aran is your gal. You may know her from her gf sourdough tutorials on instagram.

Aran is one of my favorite food people. Most importantly, she is a lovely and generous person. Just as humble and charming as her photos lead you to believe. Her photos are romantic, the recipes are clear and uncomplicated and she offers subs for all sorts of dietary issues. She is the gluten free baking master, and always where I go for reference. The book does call for some specialty flours, but if you cook gluten free and make a few things from her book, they won’t go to waste. My favorites have been the Lemon Curd, Lemon Pound Cake, Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies and this toffee! I love how short the list of ingredients is, you may even have everything to make a batch today.

Congrats, Aran!

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT TOFFEE

Makes one 9x13 pan

This makes an excellent gift around the holidays. We kept it in the fridge for when you just need a sweet nibble after a meal. If you are nut free, you can sub in some candied pepitas or some crushed candy canes and cocoa nibs on top.

Ingredients: 

¾ cup (100 g ) raw hazelnuts

1 cup unsalted butter (or dairy free butter) cut into cubes

¾ cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup water, room temperature

½ tsp. Kosher salt

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

¼ tsp baking soda

4 ounces 70% chocolate, finely chopped

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 325’ and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

On a second sheet, spread the hazelnuts and roast for 15-20 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. When they are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a large kitchen towel and rub together to loosen their skins. Once they’re mostly peeled (a bit of skin is ok), transfer them to a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan, stir together the butter, both sugar, water and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, undisturbed, until it registers at 300’, about 15 minutes. The mixture will be dark brown and smell caramelized. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the vanilla, it will splatter. Stir in the baking soda until it is distributed - do not overmix. You want to preserve some of that gas. 

Pour the toffee onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the top with the chopped chocolate. The heat of the toffee will melt it. Spread it evenly with a spatula. Distribute the chopped hazelnuts across the top and press down so they stick into the chocolate. 

Let the toffee cool completely for a few hours, or speed up this process in the fridge. Break the toffee into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a month.

©2021 by Aran Goyoaga. Excerpted from Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple by permission of Sasquatch Books.

EGGPLANT + TOFU WITH SWEET-HOT CHILI GLAZE

Dinner seems so hard sometimes. I cook for SKCC during the day, so we have wonderful lunches, and obviously there are leftovers, but that leaves me not following my own advice as far as having a plan for dinner most nights. Ironic isn’t it? I have plans for lunch, we rotate the same few things for breakfast, but why does everyone eat so often? I have so so many cookbooks, and always turn there when inspiration eludes me. I’ll add a short list here, should you need some new ideas yourself. My family is not vegetarian, but we try to eat vegetarian meals often. The list below (amazon affiliated) includes both omnivorous and vegetarian authors from books (not new!) I’ve been turning to for inspiration lately:

Anna Jones (vegetarian, more carb heavy but simple, she has a few great ones!)

Green Kitchen Stories (strong vegetarian meals, colorful and present well)

Six Seasons (new ideas and combinations, but not fussy. Great side ideas)

At Home in the Whole Foods Kitchen (a cornerstone, easy to change ingredients by season, very “healthy”)

Canelle et Vanille (Aran’s photos are transcendent and romantic and her food is delicious. All GF)

Super Natural Everyday (my favorite of Heidi’s, great vegetarian meals and wholesome snack and breakfast ideas)

Salt Fat Acid Heat (for when I have lots of ingredients, but no ideas. Not a cookbook per se, but gets my mind going)

Mandy’s Gourmet Salads (mostly for me, but they are sturdy salads when I can pull things out easily for the kids)

The recipe here is from the beloved Jenny Rosenstrach of Dinner, A Love Story. Her recipes are quintessential family dinner type of cooking. Easy to find ingredients, not overly fussy, likeable for adults and kids. While it may not be what you’d pull out for entertaining or something unique, it is dependable and practical, which is what we all need most nights. I have tried her brothy beans and this dish below and both were hits! Look forward to pulling from this for quick weeknight meals.

EGGPLANT + TOFU WITH SWEET HOT CHILI GLAZE // Serves 4

This was so delicious with all that sauce! I put mine in a lettuce wrap to get more greens in, or could see it with some thinly sliced cabbage.

Recipe from Weekday Vegetarians By Jenny Rosenstrach
(I reduced the amount of oil to personal preference)

1 15 oz. block of extra-firm tofu, pressed, drained and cubed
1/4 cup avocado or olive oil
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot
1 lb. eggplants, preferably graffiti, cubed
salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup sweet-hot-chili glaze*

4 cups cooked rice

FOR SERVING

cilantro, sliced radishes, scallions, toasted cashews

Preheat the oven to 425’. Arrange one rack on the top rack and one on the middle. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

In a large bowl, toss the tofu cubes with half of both oils, soy sauce, cornstarch. Use a slotted spoon, place the tofu on one of the prepared pans.

In the same bowl, add the remaining oil and the eggplant, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Place the eggplant on the other sheetpan.

Place the tofu on the top rack of the oven and eggplant on the middle rack. Bake until the tofu looks crispy and golden, 20 minutes. Remove the tofu to a shallow serving bowl, move the eggplant to the top rack and continue to roast another 10 minutes until golden.

Remove the eggplant and transfer it to the dish with the tofu. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of the glaze over the tofu-eggplant mixture and gently toss to coat.

Serve over rice with desired garnishes.

SWEET HOT CHILI GLAZE

3 Tbsp. hot chili sauce (such as cholula or Pete’s)
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (or vegan alternative, we love Miyokos)
fresh black pepper

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the chili sauce, honey, brown sugar, pinch of salt and simmer until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove the pan from the heat and while the mixture is hot, whisk in the butter to thicken the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

VEGGIE CHILI

The internet is a hottttt place right now, so I’ll just pretend we’re catching up on the porch, sharing a glass of wine and updating you on the bits and bobs of our little life. Like a Christmas letter in October?
Curran is back at school and albeit strange and distanced, he’s so happy. He loves wearing his face shield with the mask as well so he looks extra cautious and also like a stormtrooper and I just love how he marches to his own drum. He’s been in skateboard class, still obsessed with the ocean and his Dad and food in general. Cleo has been tough lately. Lots of big feelings and big reactions and if I don’t get some break from her drama before she is a teenager? Lord help us. She learned the word “shit” from The Chicks new album, which she requests every time we get in the car. I told her it was a really bad word for poop which unfortunately makes it more intriguing for that 4-6 age range. My bad. When she is happy, she has tons of personality, affectionate, a great sense of humor and pays attention to detail and is therefore quite thoughtful. She LOVES Curran, and that bond may be my favorite thing about being a parent.

Work is steady-ish. A few speed bumps (actually a really big one) which I’ll tell you more about when I know more. I’m pretty creatively toasted, but I feel grateful to have a job and the schedule we do in the current state of things. We’re trying to turn over a holiday ebook in a few weeks so if we can pull it off, that will be exciting. I love love my new nephew! New babies are so clean and cuddly and seeing my sister and brother-in-law adjust into parenting is both nostalgic and beautiful. I do think it’s a stunning metamorphosis of a person, and tender to watch of people you care for so deeply. I’m reading Small Great Things by Jodi Piccoult. Looking for an easy, local-ish place to go for our 10-year wedding anniversary next month. That’s the short of it for now.

Lots of things and feelings going on for so many right now. Always in pursuit of good company and real conversation. I hope you are finding slivers of that.

This recipe has been popular over on SKCC, so I thought it should live here too. We use a mix of legumes, some bulgur for texture. Your favorite broth or stock, homemade if you’re fancy. I do stir kale in at the end because I like my veggie chili to indeed, be full of vegetables, and I’m sure some real chili conisseurs would consider that a disgrace. It’s 2020! Live your life.

Our favorite way to serve this is over extra crispy roasted sweet potato tots. The brand Alexia makes our favorites, speaking from tot fans over here. Or over a baked and split potato in general, makes this meal so filling and easy to prep ahead. As it goes with chili and stews, the toppings are crucial. Don’t skip those!

We’re on the tail end of outdoor dinner season in CA and I swear by stews and chilis being an excellent meal to feed to friends. This soup is a favorite. Because I will forever encourage feeding others, pandemic or not, maybe you can pull off a drive-way pumpkin carving next week? Chili for all? That’s on our calendar.

Wishing you wellness and warm bowls of something delicious.

VEGGIE CHILI

Serves 6

I wrote this recipe for SKCC, and it’s been popular. Even the omnivorous folks say they don’t miss the meat because there is enough flavor and texture going on.

I’ve been refilling my spice jars with dry spices from Thrive Market (if you use that link, you get a discount on your first order!). They are affordable and fresh. While you’re there and filling up your cart for free shipping, you can buy beans, grains, tomato products etc. and you’ll have pantry staples on hand for this chili at all times.

Speaking of omnivores, there has been reported success in adding a pound of ground chicken/turkey/beef to this recipe. Add it to the pot to brown and cook through after the vegetables, and add 2 more cups broth to keep everything hydrated. This will increase the serving yield to 6-8, and if that’s too much, this gifts and freezes well.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. of avocado oil or other neutral oil
1 medium yellow onion - finely chopped
1 jalapeño - seeded & minced
2 large portobello mushrooms - wiped clean & chopped super small
sea salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 red bell pepper - finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper - finely diced
1 small sweet potato - peeled & diced small
4 cloves of garlic - grated
1 1/2 Tbsp. of chili powder
1 Tbsp. of cumin
2 tsp. of cocoa powder
1 tsp. of smoked paprika
1 Tbsp. of chipotle peppers in adobo - minced small or blended
1/3 cup of brown or green lentils
1/3 cup of bulgur
14 oz. tomato sauce
28 oz. crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
3 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of beer or brewed coffee
2 tsp. of coconut aminos or soy sauce
1 can of black beans - drained
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
2 cups of chopped kale (optional)

Directions

Heat a large pot or Dutch-oven over medium heat. Heat the avocado oil. Get chopping, my friend!

To the pot, add the onions, jalapeño, mushrooms and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté those down for about 10-15 minutes until water is released and the mushrooms begin to brown. We really want to cook the water off here. Add the bell peppers, sweet potato, garlic and sauté about 5 minutes until the just begin to soften.

Add the chili powder, cumin, cocoa, smoked paprika, and chipotle to the pot and sauté them for another minute. Add the lentils, bulgur, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, broth, beer or coffee and coconut aminos. Bring everything to a gentle simmer, uncovered, and let it all cook for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and bulgur are cooked through. Add the black beans, corn, and kale if using, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. More salt? Maybe more coconut aminos. Spicier? Add more chipotle or chili powder. Let it all simmer another 10 minutes to warm through and wilt the greens.

Serve your bowls with a generous amount of toppings. Chili will keep for a week in the fridge.

Sara Forte 2020-10-22

Veggie Chili

6

Our favorite veggie chili.

• 2 Tbsp. of avocado oil or other neutral oil
• 1 medium yellow onion - finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño - seeded & minced
• 2 large portobello mushrooms - wiped clean & chopped super small
• sea salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 red bell pepper - finely diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper - finely diced
• 1 small sweet potato - peeled & diced small
• 4 cloves of garlic - grated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. of chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. of cumin
• 2 tsp. of cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. of smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp. of chipotle peppers in adobo - minced small or blended
• 1/3 cup of brown or green lentils
• 1/3 cup of bulgur
• 14 oz. tomato sauce
• 28 oz. crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 3 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 cup of beer or brewed coffee
• 2 tsp. of coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 1 can of black beans - drained
• 1 cup of frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups of chopped kale (optional)

324 calories7 grams fat 54 grams carbohydrate 14 grams protein

     

american

Entrée

vegetarian, fall, entertaining, soup