sesame crusted quinoa + kale cakes

If you follow my twitter or instagram feed {or if we are real life friends - hi!} you know that I am currently in Beijing. I've been here since Wednesday and we have packed our days with as much site seeing and touring as a person {who does not particularly like site seeing} could handle. We have two more stops after this, Hong Kong + Tokyo. It's my first trip to Asia, and I am so excited I have finally made my way to the other side of the world. 

I will be sharing photos from the trip, but before I do that I wanted to share these quinoa cakes which I made so Michael and I could have a little snack of something homemade and healthy for our 13 hour flight.

If you read 101 cookbooks, you're probably familiar with Heidi's packing and plane food posts. I am not nearly as organized before a long trip as Heidi appears to be. I'm usually scrambling to pack at the very last minute or running off to the store at some ridiculous hour to buy travel size things, so cooking a meal to pack for the plane ride never crossed my mind. However, after reading Heidi's posts on how she makes and packs these delicious little snacks for long plane rides, I was totally inspired and determined to get myself organized to do it for our next long trip. 

I thought about what I would make, what would be easy to take and eat, but most of all what would be the most satisfying. Michael loves these red bean + zucchini cakes, so I knew that I should stay in that direction. Then I thought, I might as well go with Heidi all the way on this and make the quinoa patties she made recently for a trip to London. I've made them before and they were so good, I knew I would be excited to whip them out mid-flight.

I made a few tweaks, mostly being the addition of the sesame seed crust. In case you haven't noticed, I have been on a bit of a sesame seed kick recently. I cannot get enough of them. Being a sauce kind of person, I wanted something to dip these in, taking into consideration that they would not be able to be refrigerated while in-transit. A tamari based sauce was the perfect solution and compliment to these cakes. 

Thank you Heidi for the inspiration. I was not only able to get myself organized + packing slightly before the 11th hour, but Michael and I were so excited to snack on some home cooked food at 30,000ft while watching hours and hours of Mad Men + The Office. 

sesame crusted quinoa + kale cakes
(adapted from the quinoa patty recipe by Heidi Swanson of 101 cookbooks)

makes 
about 12 small cakes

ingredients

2 cups of cooked quinoa, room temperature
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
pepper
1/2 cup of kale, finely chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro, finely chopped
3 shallots, minced
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 cup of garbanzo bean flour
1/4 - 1/2 cup of sesame seeds
2-4 tablespoons of grapseed oil, if you are frying 

tamari dipping sauce: 
2 tablespoons of tamari or low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of brown rice vinegar
1-2 tablespoons of diced green onion 

method

• Pre-heat the oven to 350º.
• In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, eggs, salt, and pepper. Add the kale, cilantro, shallots, garlic, and cumin and stir until everything is combined.
• Then add the baking powder and the garbanzo bean flour. Stir again and set it aside for a few minutes so the moisture can absorb. 
• While the mixture is resting, make the dipping sauce. Whisk together the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 
• At this point, your mixture should hold together well. If it does not, add another egg or maybe a little more flour, but be careful not to add too much flour as you do not want the mixture to be dry. 
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and pour the sesame seeds out onto a small plate. Take about a tablespoon or two of the mixture and roll it between your palms and then flatten it out. The cakes should be about an inch or so in diameter. Press each side into the sesame seeds making sure you get a nice coating of the seeds on each side, and then place them on the baking sheet. 
• Bake for 10 minutes. While they are baking, if you are going to finish them in a pan (which I recommend) heat up a couple of tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a cast iron pan over medium high heat (do this about 3 minutes before they are done baking). If you are not going to fry the cakes, leave them in the oven for another 10 minutes until they are cooked through. 
• For frying: Make sure the oil is very hot, then place a couple of cakes in the pan. They should sizzle when they hit the pan. If the oil is not hot you might overcook the cakes and they will be dry. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, just enough to brown the cakes. Continue until all of the cakes are browned. 
• Serve warm with the tamari dipping sauce. They will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. If you are traveling with them, they will be fine in an air-tight container for 12-24 hours.  

loaded homemade hummus

I started writing this post from my dark, powerless apartment in downtown nyc. Thankfully for me that was the biggest inconvenience for me and my family during hurricane sandy. We now have power again, and things are slowly getting back to normal where I live. 

We are extremely fortunate. This has not been the case with many people, especially those in the boroughs of NYC + the coast of NJ. The people who have not been as fortunate have weighed heavy in my thoughts.

I am always so impressed at the way new yorkers pull together in the wake of crisis and hard times. I'm also impressed with so many of my family members and friends who have donated their time and goods to people in need without any hesitation. We all know what we have to do, and taking care of our neighbors and people in need just comes naturally to the people of this area. 

Whether you live in NY or not, there are ways you can help. I found a couple of links that can point you in the direction so you can donate your time, money, or goods to people who need it most. 

7 ways to donate to hurricane sandy victims online via mashable

12 ways to donate time, skills, or supplies to hurricane victims via treehugger

buy an I (still) love NY t-shirt - 100% profits go to hurricane sandy relief

It may seem a bit trivial to post about something as simple as hummus while we are still recovering from one of the biggest disasters the nyc area has ever seen. We all have to get back to some sort of normalcy, and eating hummus daily is a part of my normal, everyday life. 

I eat a lot of hummus. It's pretty much my go-to snack food, and because of this I find that it's definitely better for me to be making my own. This hummus, however, is a fancier hummus. A hummus I might make if I want to impress someone, or make for a fancy party or pot luck. The toppings are more of a creative suggestion, a guileline, not a rule. Feel free to omit the toppings though if you are not in a fancy mood.

*If you have any other suggestions/links on how to help hurricane sandy victims, or want to share what you did to help, please feel free to leave that info in the comments section below*

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roasted sweet potatoes, red onions + pine nuts with tahini

 

As you may know, I am a huge fan of Yottam Ottolenghi. His books are a constant source of inspiration for me, and I frequently daydream about having lunch at one of his London restaurants.

My first introduction to Ottolenghi was unusual. On a visit to Maine a couple of years ago, my Aunt + Uncle took me to this fabulous book store in Portland, Maine that sold just cookbooks. Just cookbooks. Dangerous. 

Out of the mounds and mounds of gorgeous cookbooks, I could not tear myself away from this one vegetarian focused book with an attractive pillow-like white cover. The recipes were different. Unique. A wonderful combination of mediterranean + middle-eastern flavors. When I went to checkout, the cashier owned the book already and went on and on about what a great book it was. I couldn't wait to get home and make every single recipe. 

I bought Ottolenghi's book Plenty before it was released in the US, not knowing what a hit it would end up being here. That also means my book is in grams and celcius, and although it is slightly inconvenient, I look it as a badge of honor for discovering this book before it's US debut. 

After cooking my way through Plenty, I couldn't wait until I had the opportunity to eat at one of his London restaurants. This summer I had my chance, and it lived up to everything I had expected. I went to his restaurant in Notting Hill and order as many things that would fit onto one plate. I sat outside in the rain (because that was the only seat open) and I was in heaven. While I was there I was also able to pick up a signed copy of his original book, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook which features the recipes made at his restaurants, and it too has become a staple in my kitchen.

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quince crisp

As soon as the temperature starts to drop, it's only natural that you and I start to crave certain things. More soups, more roasted vegetables, more blankets, more nights in watching movies, more baked fruits, more fireplaces, more crisp. 

It's no secret, I love a good crisp. 

Crisp is the prefect dessert for a crisp fall day. Maybe that is where is got it's name?  No?  Okay ... I know ... it's from the crispy top that pairs so nicely with the soft fragrant fruits hiding underneath. 

I'm fairly new to cooking with quince. If you are unfamiliar with this fruit, it is best described as a cross between a pear and an apple, therefore (in my opinion) making it ideal to bake with.

Pears and apples are two of my favorite fall fruits, and now quince will obviously be making it's way to that list as well.

The thing to note about quince is that is has particularly tough flesh which means it is not so good to eat raw, and it needs to bake on it's own for some extra time before being incorporated into a crisp, or pie, or any baked dessert for that matter. 

The upside to having to bake the quince longer? You will have that delicious smell of quince baking in your home for for that much longer, creating the perfect ambiance for a fall day. 

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acorn squash stuffed with a warm farro and pine nut salad

Since moving to nyc, I have been fascinated with the unlimited amount of choices and variety in grocery stores farmers markets, speciality stores, and produce. I walk around this city like a kid in a candy store. Anything I can think of, I can find it here. It is wonderful, exciting, and at times can be overwhelming. 

Back where I lived in CT, there were not many choices. I had a Whole Foods down the street which was my go-to. There was also a small Italian speciality store that I enjoyed going to for fresh pasta and interesting produce. That was really it. I was always able to find what I needed. Comforting and predictable, but not very exciting.  

Now, I live a walking distance from the Union Square Greenmarket which is one of the great food experience of nyc. It runs 4 days a week, all year round. I try to make it there at least once a week, more if I can. I always end up with way more {ahem ... pastries} than I need. 

The following are some shots from my visit last week.  

 

While I was there I picked up a few acorn squashes, some lovely herbs, a couple of gorgeous golden apples, and a few vegan and gluten-free plums tarts + corn bread {which are not pictured because they were promptly devoured}.

I had some farro at home and was looking to stuff the squashes with a warm farro salad. It seemed like the perfect lunch for these brisk fall days that we've been having recently. 

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