coconut apple muffins.

and after a 3-month hiatus, we're back! starting with more muffins!

coconut apple muffins

from vegan cupcakes take over the world (thanks, molly!)

2/3 cup almond milk

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup agave nectar

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 apples, cored and chopped

preheat oven to 325F.

mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. let sit for a few minutes until it curdles. beat in the agave, vanilla, and almond extract.

sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix until smooth.

add in the apple chunks and mix just enough to combine.

fill silicon muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. bake about 22 minutes until a tester comes out clean. let cool for at least an hour before devouring.

fig and plum muffins.

 

i used to call autumn my favorite season. i've always loved the hints of red and gold on the trees, unpacking my sweaters and boots, pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, the knowledge that thanksgiving and christmas are right around the corner. while i'm still a big fan of the season, i have to admit that california - with its incredible produce selection the last few months - has made me a summer convert. 

in particular, the abundance of plums, peaches, nectarines, pluots, apriums, and my newest addiction - figs - have opened my eyes and belly to the pleasures of summer fruit in all its hybrid forms. every sunday trip to the farmer's market has left me stuffed and satisfied from too many samples and lugging a big tote bag of fruit home. guess who's not complaining.

these muffins are a final ode to summer. (can we also talk about the fact that i'm finally posting another muffin recipe?!). i like them with as many figs and plums as you can pack in, but feel free to substitute in any other summer fruit (and whatever nuts) you deem fit.

fig and plum muffins

3 plums, pitted and diced


5 fresh black mission figs, quartered

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour


1 cup brown sugar


1 tsp baking soda


1/2 tsp salt


1 cup water


1/3 cup canola oil


1 tbsp pure vanilla extract


1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

preheat the oven to 350°. grab some silicone muffin cups or grease a muffin tin.

combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl. in a small bowl, mix together water, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. add wet to dry, and stir to combine. add in the figs and plums and give a couple more stirs to make sure they are distributed in the batter.

scoop into muffin cups. bake on the center rack for 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out squeaky clean. cool em off, if you can bear it, for 15 minutes. enjoy with an iced chai.

soba noodles with mango and aubergine.

i swear: this delectable noodle stir fry tastes better than the above photo suggests. like, way better. in fact, it was so delicious that i consciously forewent any attempt at a successful photo shoot in favor of getting to the dinner table quicker.

the recipe comes from yotam ottolenghi's most recent cookbook, plenty. one year ago, i made a resolution that i was only allowed to purchase a new cookbook once i'd made at least three recipes from my most recently acquired cookbook. well, with three recipes checked off from neelam batra's 1,000 indian recipes, i rushed to barnes and nobles to pick up my reserved copy of ottolenghi's newest work of genius. and i have to say that i have not been disappointed. i've made well over three recipes from it in the past few months and have about fifteen more bookmarked. 

this particular recipe packs in a unique bunch of flavors. i'm generally not a huge fan of fruit in my main course, but a ripe mango does wonders here. it's a salty, sweet, tangy dish that works well as either a main or side. it also tastes just as good, if not better, the next day.

ottolenghi’s soba noodles with mango and eggplant

from plenty

1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 fresh red chile, finely chopped
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup sunflower oil
2 medium eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch dice
1 packet soba noodles
8 ounces pan-fried tofu, cut into tiny cubes
1 large ripe mango, diced
1 2/3 cup basil leaves, chopped (if you can get some use Thai basil, but much less of it)
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt for up to 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile and sesame oil. Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.

Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain.

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender but still al dente. Drain and rise well under running cold water. Shake off as much of the excess water as possible, then leave to dry on a dish towel.

In a mixing bowl toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, half of the herbs and the onion. You can now leave this aside for 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve add the rest of the herbs and mix well, then pile on a plate or in a bowl.

incredible raw corn salad.

three days ago, i discovered that you could eat corn raw. i can't quite explain how that bit of dining know-how slipped by, but i'd always assumed for whatever reason that corn had to be cooked to be digestible and/or tasty. turns out, i was (luckily!) wrong on both fronts. 

in my quest to find a refreshing summery, do-ahead side dish, the first place i looked was - obviously - heidi swanson's blog, 101 cookbooks. both her orzo super salad and summer squash pasta have become kitchen staples, and i was feeling like it was time to add another recipe to the repertoire. 

hello corn salad. 

minimalists like myself will appreciate this salad's short ingredient list and omission of any actual cooking. just shuck, chop, whisk, and toss. the dressing is sweet but slightly tangy, and the nuts and raw corn kernels deliver a crunch that is truly delightful. so far, i've eaten this salad by itself, on a chip, in a wrap, with some panfried tofu, and atop some greens. so... it's versatile. i threw in fresh chives for some herbiness, and i bet cilantro and pine nuts would be fantastic additions or substitutions as well. 

incredible raw corn salad
(almost) straight from 101 cookbooks

6 ears of corn

1 shallot, minced
1/3 cup chives, minced
1/6 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup toasted pepitas
(pumpkin seeds)
3/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds


shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cobs. place the kernels in a medium serving bowl with the shallot.

make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. gradually add the oil and whisk mightily until the dressing comes together. taste to check that the dressing is on the sweet side and not too tangy – adjust levels of lemon juice, oil, sugar, or salt as needed.

toast your seeds in a dry pan if you’ve yet, and just before serving, add the seeds to the bowl of corn. toss once, and then add the dressing. toss again to make sure everything is well coated.

you can gobble this up immediately or put in the fridge to hang for a few hours if you’ve prepared it ahead of time.