Corn Bread: Baking Through the Bread Baker's Apprentice

This is the best corn bread I have ever had. Not that I have had a lot of corn bread . . . but still. Instead of dry and crumbly, this corn bread is moist and fluffy and filled with tasty, tasty, corn (I love the flavour of baked corn). Baked in a cast iron skillet for a nice crispy crust, this bread is perfection. Note: the pages are out of order on the Google Books version. Just scroll up a few pages to see the rest of the recipe.

GENERAL NOTES
1. I did not soak the polenta overnight because I did not plan ahead. Instead, I warmed up the soy milk and let the polenta soak for about 2 hours.
2. I think I will reduce the baking powder to 1 tbsp next time--the final bread had a bit of a taste.
3. As mentioned above, I baked this in a cast iron skillet. I think it is smaller than 10 inches, so I ended up baking it for 45 mins.

VEGAN NOTES
1. No bacon.
2. I added 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar to the soy milk to make "buttermilk."
3. The 3 eggs were made from 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp water, let soak, then whisk) and soy yogurt to make up the rest of the weight.

4. Maple syrup for honey (could use agave, I am sure)
5. Margarine subbed for butter.
6. I used 1 tbsp of canola oil to grease the pan instead of the bacon fat.

Super Easy Southern Tofu

This is a quick and simple version of my Memphis BBQ Tofu recipe. I have really been slacking off on the winter BBQing this year, and I am pretty sure I am out of propane. I guess I am getting old and timid because in years past I have had no problem shovelling a path to the BBQ to grill up tasty food and dream of summer. The meal started with Peter Reinhart's corn bread (recipe coming in my next post) and I felt I needed some southern flavours to go with it. I had bought some collard greens earlier in the week so I cooked whipped up this recipe (but cooked them for about an hour). And, I made this tofu.

INGREDIENTS

Dry Rub

- 4 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp seasoned salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- cayenne pepper to taste

- 1 pkg extra firm tofu, cut into 8 slices
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1/3 cup Jack Daniels
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- dash of hot sauce

METHOD
1. Combine rub ingredients. Roll each tofu slice in rub until coated. Set aside.
2. Heat oil on med to med hi in a large frying pan. Fry tofu for a few mins on each side, until nicely browned. Add more oil, if needed. Remove from pan.
3. Add Jack Daniels to pan and let reduce a bit. Add remaining ingredient and mix well. Bring to bubbling and let thicken. Add tofu and turn to coat. Serve.

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread: Baking Through the Bread Baker's Apprentice

Entry two in the cinnamon section: a raisin walnut bread. For the life of me I can't find the pics I snapped of the bread, so I am including the one from the book found on Google Books. Sorry to say that the recipe is not also included (I guess this is what "limited preview" means). This is a pretty straight forward raisin bread (with super easy vegan subs), and the walnut adds a very nice touch. It was perfect warm from the oven, and still good the next day toasted for breakfast.

GENERAL NOTES
1. I need to get an 8.5 by 4.5 inch pan since Reinhart seems to favour smaller loaves for breads baked in pans. I was tempted to just make one mega loaf in a large pan, but decided against it.
2. I used half of the cinnamon mixture for the cinnamon swirl, and opted against dusting the loaves with cinnamon and sugar.

VEGAN NOTES
1. I used an equal weight of soy yogurt for the egg.
2. I used soy milk for the whole milk.

Easy Green Curry

I love green curry, but I find I rarely make it and gravitate more to a sweet and sour red curry. This dish came together quite quickly from the veggies still kicking around in the fridge at the end of the shopping week. As you can see from the pic, this is a drier curry, but you could add more coconut milk to make it more saucy to be served over rice. I really like the black beans with the broccoli--an unexpected and tasty combination.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp, oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1" piece of ginger, minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
- green curry paste, to taste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup coconut milk, or more as desired
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Saute shallot, garlic, and ginger for a few mins, until fragrant and lightly browned. Add sweet potato and fry for 5 mins.
2. Add broccoli and cook for about 15 mins, adding splashed of water as needed to help stem/cook the veggies and keep them from sticking to the pan.
3. Add curry paste, along with 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Add soy sauce and beans and cook for about 5 mins, making sure the veggies are now fully cooked.
4. Add coconut milk, season to taste, and serve.

Cinnamon Buns: Baking Through the Bread Baker's Apprentice

I am now into the cinnamon section of the cookbook, which is a pretty nice place to be!

GENERAL NOTES
1. I made 12 buns--this made for a good size, not too big or too small.
2. The recipe calls for quite a bit of cinnamon-sugar filling. I found it spilled out when I cut the roll of dough, so I sprinkled it on top of the buns so it did not go to waste.
3. The recipe also makes WAY too much icing (4 cups). This could easily be halved, if not more.
4. I did not care for the orange extract in the icing and would just use vanilla extract next time.
5. The recipe calls for bread flour or all purpose flour, so I used half and half. This made for a nice chewy bun that was still tender.

VEGAN NOTES
1. I subbed an equal weight of soy yogurt for the egg.
2. I subbed soy milk for the milk.