The Taste Traveller

pumpkin cookies

Looking for a change from your usual chocolate chip or oatmeal cookies? Try these! They are like little cakes. Both chewy and smooth - with pumpkin, nuts and raisins they are a good dose of healthy too. I couldn't resist adding a half cup of chocolate chips to these. Easy to make, they are a little bit of Autumn right there in just a few bites. Great with a hot cup of coffee or tea and perfect with a latte or cappuccino! 

I adapted the recipe from a new addition to my cookbooks, a Christmas present from my mom and stepdad, Most Loved Cookies (Most Loved Recipe Collections). I substituted some whole wheat flour for a portion of the all-purpose flour measurement. I added allspice to the short list of spices they have, and put the whole can of pumpkin in! Very pumpkin-y! I also made my cookies quite large which coupled with the whole can of pumpkin meant they required a few minutes more baking time (about 3 additional minutes). As with my pumpkin muffins I'd like to try this recipe with fresh pumpkin (I froze some portions up awhile back, so they are just waiting to be used) to see how the texture and perhaps flavour might vary. I think you could get away with 1 egg as well. I think a little plain yoghurt in place of 1 egg would work well. 

For now, here's the recipe. Have fun! 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) brown sugar, packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (398 ml) pure pumpkin (they suggest 1 cup/250 ml but I put in the whole can)
• 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups cups (300 ml) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) whole wheat flour
• 4 tsp (20 ml) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp (1 ml) allspice
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) raisins
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup (250 ml) chopped walnuts (or another nut of your choice)

Method:

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Follow with pumpkin and vanilla. 

Combine next 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add to butter mixture in 2 additions, mixing well after each so there is no dry flour. 

Add raisins, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well. With a medium-sized spoon (I used a tablespoon) drop batter in 1 1/2 tablespoon portions about 2 inches (5 cm) apart onto greased cookie sheets (or use parchment paper). Bake in 375⁰ F (190⁰ C) preheated oven for about 15 minutes (with more pumpkin and larger cookies mine needed about 17 minutes) until golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Makes from 2 to 4 dozen depending on how big the cookies are. 

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roasted cauliflower

I don't know why it never occurred to me before to roast cauliflower. I love roasted or baked vegetables of other sorts. Growing up we usually had the classic cauliflower with home made cheese sauce - and I have mostly just eaten it raw as an adult. Awhile back I signed some cookbooks out of the library. I was there with Scarlet getting books for her and well, I found myself in the cookbook section. It was just to good to resist, so I came home with a stack of them. Like I don't have enough cookbooks to work my way through! One recipe I tried was from a Rachael Ray book - a roasted cauliflower curry dish - which was so different to me, and delicious. 

Just this week I decided to revisit this, but just simply to roast the cauliflower rather than take it any further. Who would have thought cauliflower could be so amazing? Compared to steaming or boiling the flavour is much more interesting - kind of nutty - and lends itself to much variation in seasoning. The first time I cooked this earlier in the week I drizzled olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice, and sprinkled dried oregano all over the cauliflower before roasting. I got the lemon juice idea from Elise at Simply Recipes when I did a bit of digging around after deciding I would make this. I roasted a whole bulb of garlic separately (drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in foil to make a little packet) and then mashed and chopped the roasted garlic, tossing it along with sea salt and pepper with the cauliflower before serving. 

The second time (pictured) I started off the same (olive oil and lemon) but sprinkled cumin and curry powder over the cauliflower as well before roasting. This worked well and I would try adding a bit more of each of these spices next time. 

My husband isn't a big fan of cauliflower but enjoyed it done both ways, and my one year old Scarlet liked it too. For lunch one day I enjoyed some of the leftovers with some olive oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese. For dinner I mixed some with a tomato sauce served over fresh pasta. 

 
 Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, roughly chopped
• extra virgin olive oil (enough to drizzle over, about 1 to 2 tablespoons/15 ml to 30 ml)
• 1/2 to 1 lemon, squeezed
• 1 bulb garlic, roasted (optional)
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml), approximately, dried oregano
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

OR

• 1 tsp (5 ml), approximately, curry powder
• 1 tsp (5 ml), approximately, ground cumin
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375⁰ F (190⁰ C)

The garlic can go into the oven about 10 to 15 minutes before the cauliflower. Thinly slice off the top of the bulb, drizzle olive oil on top, and tightly wrap in foil. Place in the middle of the oven.

Roughly chop the cauliflower into medium to large pieces. Rinse and place in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over top. Turn over with a large spoon or spatula until well distributed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, curry powder and ground cumin and mix again. Transfer cauliflower to a baking sheet that is either lightly greased or covered with parchment paper. You could likely get away with very little or no oil on the pan if the cauliflower is well-coated. I used parchment paper. Spread evenly and place in the middle of the oven. Roast for about 25 minutes. There will still be some firmness so if you'd prefer it more tender add another five minutes or more, checking so that it doesn't burn. 

Squeeze or scrape out the roasted garlic with a knife and lightly mash and chop. Mix in with the roasted cauliflower. Serve.

This can be made ahead, and then warmed in the oven in a covered casserole dish. 

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carrot, apple, and ginger soup

Cleansing soup is in the cards this week. The main ingredients work well for a fresh juice as well, but a warming soup fits the bill as a way to savour the combination for a bit longer. Inspired by a soup in my THE CRANKS RECIPE BOOK as well as a curried carrot parsnip soup in my Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals I cut back on the spices (I didn't want to overdue the recipes with Indian inspiration) and came up with the recipe below. 

What follows is a simple soup recipe that may be a change from your usual vegetable soup and give your body a little mid-winter or New Year boost depending on where you live!  

Feel free to play around with the proportions here, I like more rather than less ginger, and you could try it without the orange juice or even without the ginger. Another apple would be good too. This would go nicely with some crusty bread, or this bread. 

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed, minced or chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup (75 ml to 125 ml) ginger, freshly chopped (I used a 1/4 cup but the soup could easily handle 1/2 cup)
• 2 tsp (10 ml) of vegetable or olive oil
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) cinnamon OR
• 1/2 tsp (2 ml) thyme
• 6 cups (1500 ml) peeled and chopped carrots
• 1 cup (250 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
• 4 cups (1000 ml) water or vegetable stock
• 1 large apple, peeled and chopped

Method:

In a small pan sauté the garlic and onions in the olive or vegetable oil for just a few minutes, until the onions are soft. In a soup pot add the water or stock, carrots, ginger, apple, cinnamon or thyme, and simmer until the carrots and apple are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

In your blender, food processor, or with your hand held blender, purée the soup mixture (in batches if necessary) adding the orange juice near or at the end of the blending process. If you'd like a creamier texture experiment with adding a little plain yoghurt or even cream, but it's nice just as is. Cilantro or parsley, freshly chopped and used to garnish, would add some extra zing, but certainly aren't necessary. Grated orange zest would be nice on top too. I blended the soup ingredients, except the orange juice, and let it sit overnight, blending in the orange juice the next morning. I used a combination of freshly made juice -  using my Cuisinart CCJ-100 Citrus Pro Juicer (which works so well and is so super easy I really need to use it more often) - and store bought (not from concentrate) orange juice. I like to think this added to the flavour of the soup overall. Some extra zing! Bonus - Scarlet (my one year old) loved this soup too! 

What's next in my kitchen in the next week or so? Two soups from one of my favourite food bloggers, Heidi of 101 Cookbooks. Both sound delicious and oh-so-healthy. One is her ribollita recipe, the other her favourite garlic soup.

As for my next post, look out for a shift to home made bread as I dive into one of my Christmas presents, Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day! 

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