Onion and Olive Socca

I have been meaning to post this for a while now (about 3 weeks...) and I am finally getting around to it! This socca accompanied me during an all-nighter trying to finish writing a 15 page paper. It was delicious and oh so satisfying. Quite different from my skillet socca and I have to say, I do prefer the texture of this method (baking) compared to preparing it omelette-style.

The inside was like custard. Drool.

Custard-y friggin' goodness.

Ingredients:

1 c chickpea flour (I made mine by food processing dried chickpeas)

1 t salt

1.5 c water

1-2 T oil

a few thin slices of red onion

a few olives, finely chopped

optional: a few sage leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F

Add oil to a 9-10" pan (I use a skillet because that's all I have)

Mix together flour and salt.

Whisk in water until batter is clump-less (this will be very thin).

Pour batter into pan/skillet.

Place onions, olives and sage thoughtfully into batter.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until socca has a crust but is soft to the touch.

Optional: Turn oven to broil and bake for 3-5 more minutes for crispiness.

My unsuccessful attempt to remove it from the skillet...

 Horrible picture thanks to the quality of the pictures taken on my phone...

...oh how I wish I hadn't broke my camera.

Cheezy Dorito Sauce

Source: wired.com

Yeah you heard it. This sauce taste exactly like Spicy Doritos. It is SO bizarre. It has been quite a while since I have eaten a Dorito so I wouldn't have completely thought my opinion to be valid however Marcy was there to confirm it. Dorito.

When I ran across it on Averie's blog I had to try it ASAP and I'm so glad of that. Also, Marcy is brilliant for suggesting that we actually attempt to make Doritos. Well we attempted alright but we failed.

The failure sure is tasty though! Not crispy like a Dorito and has less of a punch but I would guess that rolling the dough thinner and adding more cheesy coating and we'd have one hell of an all natural, gluten free, vegan Dorito! (The picture above is particularly appropriate since we created the S&M Doritos instead of going out on a Saturday night. We party hard.)

“Spicy Doritos” Spread
Raw vegan and based off of this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/3 c sunflower seeds, soaked
1/2 c nut/seed of choice, soaked (I used more sunflower but cashews, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, etc. would work just as well)
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/2 of a red pepper
3 T apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 t salt (or to taste)
1 t cayenne

Directions:

Blend it up!

Sam and Marcy's (S&M) Doritos Attempt 1.

Based off this recipe to make homemade gluten-free cinnamon toast crunch (yeah the sound of that blew me away too...). These measurements ended up with a Doritos-flavored, pita bread-textured treat! If you play around with it and make something more Doritos-like, please let me know.

Ingredients:

1/2 c garbanzo bean flour
1/2 c millet flour (or dried millet ground in a spice/coffee grinder or food processor)
2 T coconut oil, melted
3/4 c water
1 T nutritional yeast
1 t cayenne
1/4 t salt

"Spicy Doritos" Spread (recipe above)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix together flours, oil, nutritional yeast, cayenne and salt.

Whisk in water until smooth.

Pour batter into a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (Looking back on it, this was our fail. The batter we made was not of a pourable consistency. Add more water!)

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until starting to brown.

Remove from parchment paper and spread with a decent amount of "Spicy Doritos" Spread.

Score into triangle and return to oven for another 5 minutes.

Snack away!

Guest Recipe: Veggie Socca with Savory Almond Sauce

Martha Johnston, also known as my mom, made a socca of her own! Different veggies but same basic socca recipe. Here's her experience:

Mine was a comedy of errors. I did not have a non-stick pan and should have used more oil. I did it on the stove, could not flip it so I popped it in the oven. I ended up scraping it out and reforming it into 2 small pan cakes and re frying it. It still tasted great. 

The veggies in it I used was portabello mushrooms, red peppers, onions and dried basil.

Lookin' good garnished with sprouts, chopped scallions,

and raw almond spread (recipe below)

And here is the recipe for the dollop of goodness on top. Based off Yuri's cleanse recipes.

Almond Sauce (raw vegan)

Ingredients:
1 c almonds, soaked overnight
2 T sesame oil
3 T Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or tamari or soy sauce)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 dried dates, soaked for 2-3+ hours
½ lemon, juiced
¼ t cayenne, or to taste (or pinch red pepper flakes)
Coconut water (or water)

Directions:
Pulse all ingredients, except water, in a food processor.

Add water until desired consistency is reached, smooth and creamy.

Butternut Squash Millet Bake

I have been meaning to try a recipe by Mark Bittman (AKA 13-year writer of the New York Times food blog, The Minimalist) for some time now. The premise behind the Minimalist is that every recipe can be tweaked, adapted based on what you have. He's kind of a god in the foodie community.

Well I am ready to sacrifice to my new god (I hope he accepts sweet potatoes). Yes. It's that good.

So. So. Good.

Based off of Mark Bittman's Autumn Millet Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 T oil (I used coconut oil)
3/4 cup millet
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes (any other winter squash/pumpkin will do)
1 cup fresh cranberries 1/2 c dried Michigan cherries
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T chopped sage leaves (or 1 t dried sage)
2 T maple syrup
1 c vegetable stock water, warmed
1/4 c pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a large casserole dish.
Put oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.

When hot, add the millet and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes (hs note: don't overdo it).

Spread in the bottom of the greased casserole dish.

Scatter the squash cubes and cherries on top of the millet.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the sage.

Mix together warm water and syrup in a small bowl.

Pour liquids over millet, squash and cherries.

Cover tightly with foil and bake without disturbing, for 45 minutes.

Carefully uncover and turn the oven to 400F.

Taste the dish and adjust seasonings.

Add more water if it looks too dry.

Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top, and return the dish to the oven.

Bake until the mixture bubbles and the top is browned, another 10 minutes or so.

The Burrito of All Things Winter

Welcome December! It is the FIRST SNOW OF WINTER! Whoa. I had to (wanted to) bust out my snow boots.

I had been dreaming about an autumn wrap of my making but had been too distracted by life (school) and other recipe fancies that I hadn't put it together. But the change of month (December is a big one, the laaast one) put my gears in motion. I literally woke up thinking about seasonal sandwiches. Here's my attempt #1.

The Early Winter Sandwich

Ingredients:
1 Cornmeal Tortilla
smeared with Pumpkin Spread
and a dollop of Cranberry Chutney
sprinkled with toasted nuts (1)
and a hefty handful of greens (2)

Cranberry Chutney
Holy cow. This is the absolute best. Caramelized onions are the perfect match for the tartness of cranberries. I would be so satisfied with a vat of this stuff. Nothing more.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped (3)
1 clove of garlic, minced (3)
1 T oil
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 c frozen cranberries (4)
1 c water
1/2 t ground ginger
salt and pepper

Directions:
Heat oil over medium-low heat.
Add onions and garlic and saute until soft.
Add vinegar, ginger, cranberries and cover.
Lower heat and lightly simmer until liquid evaporates.
Add water incrementally and slowly simmer until desired consistency.
I simmered, covered, for about 45 minutes until very thick and sweet.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Cornmeal Tortillas
Attempt #1. Meaning Fail #1... I do not recommend this recipe AT ALL but I thought I would report my fails as much I would my wins.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. cornmeal (1)
1 t cumin
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

Pour boiling salted water over cornmeal and cumin and stir. When cornmeal is cool enough to harden, shape into then flat cakes and cook on an un-oiled hot griddle until brown on both sides. Makes 8 servings.

Pumpkin Spread

1 c roasted pumpkin (5)

2 t oil (I used almond in this recipe)

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t cumin

dash of pepper

1/2 t salt




(1) Earnst Farm
(2) Spinach from Holland, MI
(3) Tantre Farm
(4) Locavorious
(5) from an organic Amish farm but I don't remember the name, unfortunately...