Ypsi Cooks

My friends, I love tomato sauce. I remember living in a house full of 6 women and cooking up a pot of sauce. One of my roommates walked in, and if my memory serves me correctly, she just about fainted (She now works at Zingerman’s Roadhouse: a good place for someone so appreciative of good food). She raved about the aroma (the result of sauteed onions doused with a good amount of a few day old wine). When it got to the table, it was what we all hoped for, all galic-y and basil-orgegeno-ed. But I haven’t made a sauce like that in a while. Perhaps not since then. But not too long ago I found this sauce.

It couldn’t be simpler: 4 ingredients that bubble away on the stove, just asking for the occasional stir and mash while you get your brain together after a long day. The sauce, made with whole tomatoes, butter, onion (just cut in half and peeled) and salt, is warm, and rich, and comforting, and decadent. So, throw the ingredients in a pot, open a bottle of wine (no need to save any for the sauce), then take a little time to pick out a pasta (I’m a fan of long and skinny for this one), talk with your family (or roommates, whatever the case may be), set the table, get out some parmesan, light the candles (it’s that good), and enjoy.

Oh, and by the way, I just made a double batch, because the only thing easier than this sauce is “planned-overs” for dinner. When I doubled it, I just used one stick of butter, and one onion cut into funky thirds (an of-set cut and then a slice down the middle of the bigger chunk). There was still plenty of onion flavor, and no buttery richness was lost.

One of my friends had an intense day, so the kids and I decided to make her some cookies. We love to make cookies, with all the measuring and dumping and mixing, it’s childhood heaven. I’ve been working on a low fat, low sugar recipe for a while. Cooks Illustrated created light recipe where you use all butter (no applesauce or other funny stuff), but you melt it, and somehow that means you only have to use half as much.

Well, it’s a great recipe, but it has 1 cup of sugar, which is the main ingredient we try to avoid in this house, so I’ve been slowly reducing it. A half cup provides enough sweetness, but since sugar is important for moisture and cohesion, I have been tinkering with the recipe in other ways to compensate. I perused online for a trailmix cookie recipe and found one that included 1/2 tsp of baking soda dissolved in 1 tbsp of hot water. Wondering if that might do the trick, the kiddos and I set to work on a batch of cookies.

But wait. I forgot. We ran out of cinnamon a few days ago. Grrrrrr. What’s an oatmeal cookie without a little cinnamon? Plus, cinnamon speaks to your tastebuds as if it’s sweetness, thereby allowing you to reduce the sugar content without totally sacrificing flavor. What’s a girl to do without cinnamon? Dorie Greenspan published the recipe for this amazing Spiced Cranberry Bunt cake in the November 2008 issue of Bon Appetit where she introduced me to Chinese 5 Spice*, and aromatic combination of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and other spices. Since then, I’ve used it here and there to add ore interesting flavor than cinnamon alone.

Using 5 spice, I knew I had to be choose my nuts and fruits wisely. Thinking about the fruit, nuts and seeds I had, I thought a Turkish/Middle East inspired cookie with apricots and pistachios might work out well. Of course you could always replace the 5 spice with cinnamon and have a quite traditional (only healthier) oatmeal.

Also, sorry about the lack of pictures. Imagine an oatmeal cookie, not totally flat, not a puffy little cake cookie, but a nice normal one. Now imagine it a few shades darker because of the spice and molasses. There’s your picture.

*I bought my 5 spice in bulk where I could get just a spoonful for a few cents, just in case I didn’t like it. I’ve been back for more. Twice.

Turkish Spice Trail Mix Cookies (makes about 30 and are probably healthier than most granola bars)

2/3 c. white whole wheat (or unbleached all purpose) flour
1 1/3 c. oats (preferably old fashioned)
1/4-1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled (in a big enough bowl or pan to mix the following 7 ingredients)
1/2 c. sugar (or 1/2 c. dark brown sugar and omit the molasses, but I’m “frugal”)
1 egg, room temp
1 T. blackstrap molasses
2 T applesauce (or just do 6 tbsp melted butter)
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder (or cinnamon)
1/4 tsp powdered ginger (my ginger loving friend might have liked 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tbsp hot water
1 1/2 cups “stuff”
We did chopped apricots, golden raisins, toasted almonds, pecans, pistachios and sunflower seeds.
The variations are endless: sesame seeds, dried cherries, coconut, chocolate chips, or the classic raisins and walnuts)
2 tbsp chopped candied ginger, optional

Preheat the oven to 325*. If using raw nuts and seeds, place them on a baking sheet in the oven to toast for 15 min or until fragrant. Remove and allow to cool. The oven does not have to be preheated for this.

In the mean time, in a small bowl, pour hot water over the dried fruit & candied ginger, if using (this helps plump them). Mix the flour, oats and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix the sugar into the butter. Beat in the egg. Add the molasses, applesauce, 5 spice (or cinnamon), ginger and vanilla. Stir until blended.

Dissolve the baking soda into the fruit and water mixture. Stir the sugar/egg mixture into the oat mixture until combined. Add the fruit, water, baking soda, nuts and other “stuff” and mix until evenly distributed. Drop tablespoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and flatten a little. Bake 1 sheet at a time for 12-14 min, rotating halfway through baking. Allow to cool 5 min, then remove to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

P.S. My wonderful aunt asked about a diabetic friendly oatmeal cookie recipe just as I was preparing to type this. One might try replacing the sugar and applesauce (maybe the molasses too) with 1/3 cup agave nectar. It has a lower glycemic index than sugar.

This time around our assignment was 100% whole wheat olive oil dough, a southwestern foccia, and aloo paratha.

I needed to make bread right away (walnut cherry: my dad's birthday gift) so I replaced 1/2 cup of the water with yogurt and whey to give it a little zing from the get go. Also, I added ~1/3 of a recipe of the regular 100% whole wheat dough because 1 1/3 batches fill my container nicely.

With the dough I made the HB in 5 version of aloo paratha. One of our group members blogs from India and introduced us to more authentic aloo paratha. I look forward to trying those soon, or at least the spices for the filling!

The HBin5 recipe calls for curry, but I ran out a while ago and keep forgetting to buy more. However I did have a jar of spinach punjab sauce, so I used that instead.
Indian Inspired Stuffed Flatbread
1 1/2 pounds dough
1 pound cooked thin skinned potatoes/sweet potato combination
1/4 – 1/2 cup spinach punjab sauce (to taste)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
Melted butter for top, optional
Curry powder for top, optional

Preheat oven to 450*. Mash or grate potatoes with skin on. Thinly slice, then chop the sweet potatoes so the skins (SUPER nutritious) are non-obrteusive. Mix in remaining ingredients and taste for seasoning.

Roll 1/2 the dough into a large circle. Cut it in half. Cover half the semi circle with filling leaving a half inch border.

Wet the edges. Fold the dough to cover the filling and pinch with fingers to seal. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with curry powder, and place on a prepared cookie sheet or directly on pizza stone in oven. Bake for 20-22 min. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

I served these for dinner with a chickpea salad, and it was quite delicious.

~~~
As for the southwestern foccia: I'll make that this summer when I've got peppers and corn in the garden. In the mean time, we made “Party Wheels”

I sauteed chopped onions and a little salt until starting to brown, then I added shredded carrot and kale and sauteed it all together until everything began to soften a little. I rolled out 1 1 /2 pounds of dough, distributed the veggie mix (which could be made with almost any veggie you can imagine… small chopping is the key with the firmer veg) and pressed it into the dough. Then I sprinkled some cheese on top, rolled it up, and cut it into slices.

The buns were placed on silpat on a cookie sheet and covered to rise for about 20 min. I then sprinkled them with a little more cheese and baked them at 375 for about 30 min until the thermometer registered 202. Our friends were over and brought a great spicy veggie soup. The buns came out of the oven and kids went nuts (hence no picture of the finished project!). Party Wheels will be back on the table, just as soon as the kale starts growing again! Sue, you should make some: you know Weight Watchers is all about soup, veggies and whole grains…

I know I’ve done several posts about oats, but really the stuff is amazing: nutty and delicious, easy to cook and super healthy. Molly from the Orangette posted about these pancakes last month and I made them the next day. Tom and I were full after eating just 2. 2!!! We’re the kind of people who eat 5 or 6 1/4 cup pancakes. Not only that, but I thought they were absolutely delicious. Tom, however, was unimpressed. I made them again a few weeks later, because I just couldn’t get enough. But this time Amelia insisted on wah-wah (which is clearly the word for banana, right?), so I decided to add some banana slices*. So we got to it, pouring batter, slicing bananas and flipping in turn. Tom took a bite and said, “These are a lot better than I remember.” A few bites later, “Wow, these are really good.”

*Early in our marriage when Tom first suggested we make banana pancakes, I went to it, smashing up bananas to add to the batter. NOOOOO! The bananas must be sliced and laid on top, similar to blueberries. This is what Tom’s folks have always done. They were introduced to the sliced banana pancake (with coconut syrup) when they were young, childless, and galavanting in Hawaii. To Tom, slices were obvious; to me, it was a pancake revolation. The bananas become gooey and caramelized and add more to a pancake than you would expect from their benign mildness.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted from the Orangette, from the Inn at Fordhook Farm

Blueberries or raspberries sprinkled on top just like the bananas would be good too. (And if you’re using frozen, there’s no need to thaw them. The hot pan will do that for you.) Or don’t add any fruit and serve with a spiced or berried apple sauce.

The night before I get all the dry ingredients ready, set out the eggs and put the butter in a bowl in the microwave. The next morning all I have to do is heat the butter, slice the banana, stir and cook. Practically no thinking involved.

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup flour (white whole wheat or all purpose)
1 1/2 Tbsp. turbinado sugar
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted but not hot
1 banana, sliced
Vegetable oil or spray, for greasing the pan
Warm apple sauce or maple syrup, for serving (chopped pecans would be delicious, if you’re being decadent)

The night before:
Combine the oats and milk and yogurt in a medium bowl. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

The morning of:
Take the bowl of milk and oats out of the fridge. Set aside.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Add the eggs and melted butter to the oat mixture, and stir well. Add the flour mixture, and stir to blend. The batter will be very thick.

Warm a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat, and brush (or spray) with vegetable oil. To make sure it’s hot enough, wet your fingers under the tap and sprinkle a few droplets of water onto the pan. If they sizzle, it’s ready. Scoop the batter, about a scant _ cup at a time, onto the pan, taking care not to crowd them. Lay a few banana slices on each cake. When the underside is nicely browned and the top looks set around the edges, flip the pancakes. Cook until the second side has browned.

Re-grease the skillet, and repeat with more batter. If you find that the pancakes are browning too quickly, dial the heat back to medium.

Serve hot, with the toppings of your choice.

Yield: about 16 pancakes, 4 or more servings

I get it: Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of strings attached for a lot of people. Fortunately, not for me. My parents didn’t put much stock in Valentine’s Day. To a fault. One year I, the budding romantic, said, “Dad, what are you getting mom for Valentine’s Day?”
“Nothing.We don’t really do Valentine’s.”
My response? “Well mom’s getting you something…” An hour later I had the same conversation with my mom, names reversed. Such a devious plotter I was, and at such a young age.

For all of my parent’s lack of cheesy Valentine’s doting on each other (made up for throughout the year, I promise), my mother certainly made up for it with us kiddos. Valentine’s always fell close to the annual Presidents’ Day Weekend ski trip, and our sack lunches on the mountain always contained chocolate hearts or chocolate lips, or some other (chocolate) Valentine’s Day goodie. One year my mom bought us cute little Valentine’s Day mugs and we used them (for many years) in the motel for eating oatmeal in the morning and sipping hot chocolate in the afternoon. To this day she still sends Valentine’s cards (especially to the grandkids) and offers little special treats. (It must be noted that my mother-in-law sends along some great treats too.)

All of this is to say that even though I don’t go in for Hallmark, roses, expensive dinners and consumerism induced guilt, I still LOVE Valentine’s Day. I am enamored with creating decorations and cards and and creating red and/or pink and/or heart shaped treats. Especially if I can find a way to make them at least a little healthy. So the pink-ness of “Red Beet Buns from Healthy Bread in 5 was perfect match.
I don’t think I would have thought to make these if it hadn’t been an “assignment” from Michelle over at BigBlackDog. The dough has spelt flour, shredded beets and minced onion in addition to the usual. I made a half batch, mostly because I only had 2 beets left from this summer’s garden. In fact, I added a little shredded carrot to make up the 1 1/2 cups needed. I was excited about the onion, so I included 1 whole small onion (racquet ball size) in the half batch. Also, I didn’t peel the beets, I only scrubbed them: once shredded who would know the difference.
Other’s had mentioned the dough being a little wet, so I wasn’t concerned when I dumped in an extra ounce of flour. I shredded the beet, onion and carrot in the food processor, so I thought I’d mix the dough in there too. It was a lot more hassle than mixing by hand, but I think it’s part of what imparted the slightly more purple than pepto bismol color to the dough.

I’ve been wanting to make these egg baskets since Zoe of HBin5 posted them over a year ago. There’s no time like the present. Eventually.

I rolled out a pound of dough, cut it inot six squares and put it into every other cup of a sprayed muffin tin. Tom put in a little cheese and an egg into each “basket.”

We baked them at 375* for about 20 min. I think a lower temperature with a longer bake time might provide an absolutely unctuous egg, but with a little salt and pepper, these were pretty great. We had them for dinner with some broccoli. The onion flavor paired beautifully with the egg, and the rise, crust and crumb were lovely. It was hard for me to get a good photo, so I’m including one with a cute little model to make up for it.

Eli thought our Valentine’s Day egg baskets were “cool.” He insisted “I really the crust,” until he found out there were beets in it… I’m looking forward to the summer when beets are plentiful again. I suspect these will be a favorite of our daughter who has taken a liking to pink.

First read the article, then make the cake. It's delicious. It might inspire other great treats. Did I mention, the cake is delicious? We made it last year as part of a breakfast and shared leftovers with friends then next day. Everyone raved. Try this cake. And if you're having a party, and you don't want to make this cake, invite me; I'll make it.

The day before Thanksgiving we woke with a lonely cup of pumpkin puree in the fridge and cookies on our mind. Tom left for work at 7, and minutes later the kids and I went to work on pumpkin cranberry chocolate-chip cookies. While these cookies are so just-barely-sweet they might not qualify as actual cookies, they are tasty little morsels, more sweet than savory, so “cookies” they remain. Not only are they relatively healthy, they are quick and easy. We had the cookies out of the oven and everything cleaned up by 8. Even with the kids “help.” These are a perfect snack for these funny days where you're going to dinner a little later than usual and you need a little (delicious) bite to tide the kids (read: you) over. The key to their chocolaty-ness while maintaining a vague healthiness* is mini chocolate chips. You can use much less and still get that yummy chocolatey taste! “Read more” for the recipe.

*Yes, I know, chocolate is good for you, but the sugar, fat and other stuff they put in chocolate chips isn't.If you don't like the idea of oatmeal in your cookies (it certainly adds texture, which might not be what you want), add it to the liquids and let it soak for about a 1/2 hour to soften before mixing with the rest of the dry stuff or trade the cup of oats for 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour. Also, some chopped nuts in this would be lovely.

Pumpkin-Cranberry-Chocolate Chip “Cookies”

3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
1/4 t baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree (You can probably use up to 2 if you've got more left over, but you might want to up the spices and honey a bit.)
2 T melted butter
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 heaping T honey
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 c mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*. Line 2 baking sheets with silicon sheets or parchment. Mix the dry, mix the wet (including the berries and chips), mix them together. Put tablespoonfuls on the silicon, a bit apart (they don't spread too much). Bake about 12 min, rotating mid-way through cooking.

It is important to let them cool before eating. For some reason, the sweetness does not come through when they're hot.

We've been doing some great cooking, but it's been tough to tear myself away from school work (as teacher and student) and family life to write about it.But I want to… so many delicious things to share. Reading this blog (and having the laundry put away at 11:00 on a Saturday morning) got me a little inspired. So here goes.

We've been using this bread dough for a while now (having created our own whole grain version before their new book Healthy Bread in 5 Min a Day came out) to make naan, pizza, sticky buns, and, of course, bread.

I just joined a group that will be baking through the book, and I am really looking forward to it!

We also canned some applesauce, in a crockpot, no sugar necessary. For applesauce (with an optional twist) and apple sticky buns click read more.
Apple Sticky Buns [Using 1 1/2 lbs of the Artesian bread in 5 Whole Grain Master Recipe (I replace some of the white flour with random grains: steel cut or rolled oats, brown rice flour, etc. I always replace by weight. 1 cup of flour is about 5 oz., so I just set my container on the scale and start dumpin. It couldn't be simpler).]

Caramel Topping:
5 T butter, room temp
1/4 t salt
1/3 c. sugar
1 T blackstrap molasses
Pecans

Filling:
5 apples, thinly sliced (I leave the peel on, but love peel on apples)
3 T butter
3 T sugar
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t ginger
pinch of salt
pinch of cloves or black pepper

For the topping, cream all ingredients except pecans until fluffy (2-3 min), spread into an 8×8 pan and press in pecans (20-30 or so)

For the filling, saute the apples in butter. As they begin to soften add all other ingredients until approximately pie filling-ish (or a little less).
As the apples cook, roll out 1 1/2 lbs of dough (I do this on one of my silpats that is about 12×18 ish. I find that seems to be a good size).
Spread the apple filling (add some chopped pecans or walnuts if you're really nutty) over all the dough except the far edge so you can get a good seal). Roll it up and seal it along the long edge. Cut into 9 equal pieces and place on top of the caramel topping with the swirl showing.
Let rise for 1 1/2 hours. (For breakfast, we make the rolls the night before, put them in the fridge, and pull them out as soon as the first little one crawls into our bed in the morning). There will be some rise, but not as much as with regular, kneaded dough.
Bake at 350 for 45-50 min (I put the buns in a cold oven and set the time for 50). Let cool 5-10 min. Turn out onto a lovely platter and serve.

Crockpot Apple Sauce: core, peel and chop 25 or so mixed apples. Place in crock pot, put the lid on and cook on high for 2-3 hours. Add 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ginger, 3/4-1 tsp of cinnamon & the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Mash it all together with a potato masher and enjoy! ***if you're looking for something a little different, but not TOO weird, change the cinnamon to 1/2 t, and add 1/2 t Chinese Five Spice. Trust me.

Since I've been home for the summer I think the kids and I have had quesadillas a few dozen times. They're so good and easy, and we can pack in a lot of nutrients. What goes in our quesadillas? Greens. We always have some greens on hand, if not in the freezer or fridge, at least in the garden. Also beans and cheese, and sometimes corn, onion (caramelized or otherwise), garlic, brown rice, salsa and/or red pepper spread. The key is to mush the beans with all the other ingredients we're using except cheese, then spread it on 1/2 a tortilla (we use whole grain), sprinkle with cheese and heat on one side until crisp, flip, remove from heat when second side is crispy, cut into wedges and serve. This with a piece of fruit is about as good as it gets for lunch, and also makes a great dinner. I've been known to make it more Italian-esque, using cannellini beans, red onion, mozzarella or provolone, greens, and Trader Joe's red pepper & eggplant spread. Not only is this a great way to cover all the basic food groups, it's good for using up little bits of leftovers, and a wonderful medium for improvisation. Plus, both the kids DEVOUR these. You wouldn't think a 1-year-old could eat her weight in “quesadillas,” but she can. And another thing. In these hotter days of summer, cook them on the grill: they get especially crispy and are down-right delicious. Happy munching!

It's been hot, sticky and hot. We were going to have dinner with Tom's family and I thought we should bring dessert. I've had my eye on this S'more Chocolate Pudding for a few weeks now. I made vanilla pudding over the weekend for Peanut butter Banana Cream Pie, and it was a lot of stirring over a hot stove. Not exactly something I wanted to do in this weather. But the vanilla pudding had some microwave directions: stir and heat a little, then repeat. A lot. I figured I could do the same homemade pudding. I checked around on the internet and found some recipes that sounded good, and easy, and had good reviews, so I compared and combined as I saw fit. I tasted the pudding as it was beginning to thicken up and it was quite good even without the chocolate and vanilla. I poured it into a lovely glass bowl (a gift from my mother-in-law) layered with the graham crackers and marshmallows (note: they float, don't try to layer them IN the pudding). It looked quite lovely and tasted delicious.
Tom's “Uncle” declared it one of the best desserts he's ever had (!). Tom's brother, who is not the biggest chocolate fan, thought it would be good as a cake “frosting.” It could be like a lazy Boston Cream Pie where the chocolate and cream are all mixed together and poured over the top of a lovely yellow cake. I on the other hand think it would be great as a dip for some strawberries, or any of those other fruits that taste great with chocolate. Really, the possibilities are endless. Make some this weekend. I doubt you'll be disappointed.Easy Chocolate Pudding
Serves 6 (or a few more, especially if you use any of the additions listed below, many more if using as aforementioned fruit dip)

1/4 c corn starch
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup sugar (a little heaping)
pinch of salt
***
3 cups milk
1/4 cup powdered milk if using skim
4 oz chopped dark chocolate (2 oz or even none if you're hoping for something more along the line of boxed pudding mix)
1 t vanilla

Whisk the first 4 ingredients in a large, microwave safe bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk. Microwave for 3 min, then stir. Continue microwaving, 1 minute at a time, stirring (it seems wise to scrape the sides) throughly in between. When the mixture is thickened and holds to a spoon, slowly whisk in the chocolate, stirring until melted, then whisk in the vanilla. Pour into individual cups & cover with plastic wrap (the wrap should be touching the pudding if you don't like skin, at the top of the container if you do). Chill for about 3 hours. The pudding will set up considerably.
If you're like me and you decide you want to serve it from one large bowl, allow MUCH more chilling time.

Alternatively, use the stove, but follow the same process, stirring regularly.

For S'more Rocky Road Pudding

1 recipe Easy Chocolate Pudding
4 oz graham crackers (or Trader Joe's Cinnamon Cat Cookies, or vanilla wafers, or animal crackers…)
1 tbsp melted butter
Mini marshmallows
Almonds

In a food processor, use short pulses to break up the cookies. Once mostly broken up, pulverize until a fairly even crumb. Add butter and mix for a few more seconds until even. Pour half the pudding into the cups, top with crumb mixture, top with the remaining pudding, (chill for a few minutes before adding the second layer of pudding if you're serving in a clear dish) and top the whole thing with marshmallows and chopped nuts. Chill as above.