The Vegan Muffin Master

Lili Dagan is a lady of many talents, we know this first hand at Ger-Nis where she impresses us day in and day out with her strong organizational skills in the office and her artistic touch in our marketing department.  But what we are most impressed by is her vegan muffin mastery.  A long time vegetarian with bouts of veganism throughout her life, she has perfected many vegetarian and vegan masterpieces.  Here at Ger-Nis, we have been on a hunt for a long time for a great tasting, moist and texturally superb muffin and we are delighted to say we have finally found this through Lili’muffins.  Our mornings here at the fruit and vegetable side of things can be quite hectic and super faced paced.  We always eat healthy breakfasts but sometimes we are pressed for time, so Lili’s vegan muffins, sustain us in the healthiest and most delicious way!!

She is truly a vegan muffin master, and we are lucky that she is sharing her secrets with us!

Lili’s Vegan Banana Muffins with Pecans & Dark Rum

Makes 12-18 muffins

Ingredients

DRY

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice 

WET

4 overripe bananas, smashed
3/4 cup melted earth balance (or vegetable oil)
2 eggs-worth Ener-g brand egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 dram dark rum 

TO FINISH
1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine

Directions

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Smash bananas with a fork until smooth (little chunks are fine), then add rum and both extracts to the bananas. In a small sauce pan, melt the vegan margarine on medium heat, stopping as soon as it is fully melted while not allowing it to boil. In a small, separate bowl, prepare your egg replacement mixture, then incorporate into the rest of the wet ingredients. You’ve made the wet mix, HOORAY!

For the dry mix, it’s as simple as mixing everything under the “dry” banner together. Make sure you do so thoroughly and evenly, and you’ll be fine. Next, finely chop the pecans until they resemble tiny pebbles. Do not mix the nuts in with the dry, but reserve them for the final step. 

Slowly fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture in a scraping motion, making an effort not to just whip it all together, but instead, allowing for some unevenness. There should be a few tiny stripes of flour visible within the otherwise well-incorporated ingredients – this is how rough you can be, and how important it is not to over-mix. Then, evenly fold in the pecans, and as soon as they’re in there, let the mixture rest. Muffin mixture success!

Line a muffin tin with baking cups, and fill the cups to the very brim with your muffin mix with the biggest spoon in the house – it seems like too much, but it will be just right to get a nice top. Slap those beasts in the oven for 18 minutes, after which point a toothpick inserted into a sample muffin should come out perfectly clean. Sit back and admire you fine handiwork. Devour noisily. 

My all time favorite person in the world, hands down!  This lady is above and beyond the epitome of the kindest, gentlest and most warm spirited person, she is talented beyond belief and can cook like a banshee!   She usually takes a break when I am there but she is general cooking up grub for her kids nonstop. But my favorite holiday recipe of hers is not a cooked one……paper chains for the tree!!

Simple, cheap and fills the time of the kids!

Take old magazine, cut into strips and make a chain by either stapling or gluing ends!

We recreated this “recipe” of Jenny’s at the center this year!!

Blissed Bread’s Roasted Pumpkin Custard Bread

In light of the theme of this month’s blog Sustainable personal growth and its inspiration from San Francisco and the Bay Area, it’s perfectly fitting to feature my dear friend Jennie Giammasi.  I’ve known Jennie for about 10 maybe 12 years now (I’m old I can’t remember!) we met as rivals in the herb industry, two young woman rocking the herb world, similar ages and similar ideals and in a way similar personalities.  Eventually or rather quickly, we became good friends and in a matter of no time I found myself changing jobs, taking a big pay cut and moving up to San Francisco to work alongside her.  We worked and lived together for about 8-9 months I think and after I moved to NYC.  This experience in San Francisco with Jennie was a profound one for the both of us.  Each of us going through many and major changes in our lives and each of us experiencing the beauty of San Francisco while doing it.  Jennie for me and I am sure I for her, with our time working and living in San Fran, were pivotal in creating a better path in our lives for better more sustainable personal growth!  It was for me the beginning of something profound and pivotal on my path today.  San Francisco was a life changer for the both of us!

She is a damn good cook as well, this lady and her latest venture, Blissed Breads is soaring!

Here you go!

Blissed Bread’s Roasted Pumpkin Custard Bread

* makes two breads–one to share and one all for yourself!

 “I call this recipe a “custard bread” because the additional eggs give the bread a wonderfully spongy, moist texture.  Please assume all ingredients are organic whenever possible!”

-Jennie

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour sifted
1 cup whole wheat flour sifted
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp clove
2 tsp ginger
4 eggs
2 cups packed brown sugar (I’ve made it with 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups sugar, depending on preferences re: sweetness)
3/4 cup (12 tbs) melted butter
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2 small pie pumpkins (to make 3 cups roasted, 1 may be enough)

 Preheat oven to 350 deg, convection if possible cut pumpkins in half, clean out seeds, spread out on tray and spray oil/butter over seeds, salt, and throw in lower rack of oven (optional–but who wants to waste yummy healthy seeds?) place cut side down on baking sheet and bake for approx 40 minutes (seeds will be done in 20 min) Take pumpkin out and allow to cool while assembling other ingredients.

Grease and flour the loaf pans, or for a nice caramelized bottom substitute granulated or brown sugar for the flour…easy to lift the loaves out and delicious!”

Sift together all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a food processor, blend the pumpkin with approx half the melted butter, streamed in the food hatch–just enough to get the pumpkin blended.  This may have to be done in batches, depending on the size of your processor.  I do it in a small 4 cup, and it takes 3 batches.  Don’t worry if you need more butter, use whatever is necessary!

Cream in mixer brown sugar, pumpkin, remainder of butter…adding in vanilla and each egg, one at a time.

 Blend wet into dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix.

 Pour into two standard size loaf pans, 2/3 of the way–this bread will rise high!

Bake until toothpick comes out dry, approx 50 minutes (ovens vary) Streusel topping (optional!) I look for any excuse to add more butter and cinnamon in a bread, what’s better than that?

 Streusel Topping

1/2 stick cold butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup quick cook oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients in a processor or with fingers until crumbly and mixed together.  Add more sugar if you like it sweeter.

Sprinkle generously over breads before baking!

yummy!

Lomo Saltado

Gustav discovered this traditional Peruvian dish on our recent trip to visit the organic fair-trade growers.   The dish takes roots in Peru but with Asian (chifa) influences.  The dish is basically a stir fry with French fries and rice.  The beef is typically marinated in vinegar and soy sauce and then stir fried with onions, peppers and tomatoes.  This is Gustav’s version of the dish he now makes at home!

Lomo Saltado

Serves 4  (or 1 for Gustav!)
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into wedges , pre roasted (fries)
Vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium red onions, halved and sliced
1 pound beef, sliced into strips (sirloin or flank work best)
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into strips
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Salt & pepper
Rice (pre cooked)

 Stir fry the vegetables and meat and add sauce.  Add fries and serve with rice!

Limon Kavush or better known to most or some as the PERSIAN DRIED LEMON is one of my favorite Middle Eastern finds, and I have my dear friend Kfir to thank for this find and the restaurant MESSA in Tel Aviv. I first had it in a cocktail at Messa, some cosmopolitan type drink that was flavored with this amazing lemon flavor and garnished with this ugly lemon like dried potpourri thing. Sure it was ugly but is was intriguing to me and I began a search to understand what it was. I had already been having a hard time describing what a lime is, so I knew this would be a challenge. So everyone I asked, where it was because of my poor Hebrew or their shoddy English, no one knew what I was talking about, then one day while visiting the farms with Kfir, I was in his mother’s kitchen and saw a big bowl of them! My eyes lit up with excitement and delight and I said “WHERE DID YOU GET THESE AND WHAT ARE THEY??” He smiled and said, “LIMON KAVUSH, Iranian food, it’s a dried lemon” and kind of looked at me like I was crazy!

So as I was already aware from eating with Kfir and his family (who are Iranian decent) the Iranian influenced food in Israel was fabulous. They began to explain to me that these dried lemons are one of the most important flavor enhancers in Persian (Iranian cooking) I started to seek them out and talk about them to everyone, and once I knew the name I was amazed at how many folks’ face lit up the same way mine did and delight they all have form eating dishes with them! Truly superb, they are not all that uncommon in the states and somewhat easy to get. The taste is best described as a sour, musty taste but with a very potent lemony kick. Places sell them on line and in LA they are easy to get as well as many Middle Eastern Specialty stores all around the country.
Here is one of Kfir’s family recipes for these little wonders….now one of my favorite things about Persian or Iranian cooking is the HUGE use of fresh herbs so this recipe is one of my personal favorites as well!

PERSIAN HERB STEW
Serves 6
Vegetable oil
1 bunch scallions, chopped fine
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 medium leek, sliced thin, tops included
1 pound, beef, cubed into ½ inch cubes
Salt/pepper
½ teaspoon saffron threads
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 medium tomatoes chopped, seeds included
3 dried Persian lemons, cracked in half
2 cups water
½ cup yellow split peas or pre soaked chick peas
2 cups of fresh spinach, chopped
½ cup fresh dill, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup fresh chives chopped
½ cup fresh chives chopped
¼ cup fresh fenugreek

Cook onions, scallions and leeks in oil heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and semi translucent, 15 to 20 minutes.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the meat. Increase heat to high, and then add meat, saffron, cinnamon and turmeric to onions and cook, stirring frequently, until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomatoes and toss in lemons and stir well, then simmer for a few minutes. Add water and simmer covered for about 35 minutes. Add water and beans and all fresh herbs and simmer again covered for about 45-60 minutes or until meat is very tender.

Anna Lissiman, Hawaii

A friend from my years of college in Minnesota, Anna, is a pretty special lady. She was always intricate in her ways and slightly off the beaten path. I remember always admiring this part of her 17 years ago, when we are young and certainly in the “cookie cutter” community of folks we went to college with in Minnesota where following the norm is… well, the norm.  Anna always had the personal convictions to live her life down her own path…and the good news is she still does.  In life and (unbeknownst to me) also in the kitchen!

In the spirit of Anna’s eloquence and originality, I will share with you, in her words, this amazing beet stem cake idea and recipe!

“I think that the notion of this recipe came from a deep-seated dislike of garbage and waste, and less a matter of creativity. My great-Grandmother Della raised five children during the Depression and once said that ten pounds of flour, ten pounds of sugar and a dozen eggs meant security to her. When I think about her cooking with nothing and feeding her family, I commit to the notion that everything should find a useful purpose. We stopped buying anything that comes with excessive packaging in this house, so cakes and breads tend to be made from the basics.

Over the weekend, there were these beet stems left over from the veggie box I got at the local farm, staring me down. Trying to find ways to use them turns up heaps of recipes for soups and the odd pasta. Having done this many times already, I gave them a second look. They look a lot like rhubarb to me, so I decided to tinker with rhubarb cake recipes and see if it actually worked… guess what? It’s most deliciously, devilishly awesome.”

“I don’t see why a person couldn’t add a handful of diced pears, cubed apples, you name it – maybe even swiss chard. This recipe is easy to use and creates a cake that tastes of Christmas. It also has worked a treat as a breakfast slice, instead of a granola bar.  Somehow I believe that if my great-Grandma saw me using beetroot in cake, she’d be very pleased. In regard to this recipe, I did find that the batter needed a little longer time in the oven.

Aloha!

-Anna Lissiman”

Beet Stem Cake Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon  lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped beetroot stems
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or macadamia nut pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9×5 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together milk, lemon juice and vanilla; let stand for 10 minutes.   In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, oil and egg. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda, stir into sugar mixture alternately with the milk mixture just until combined.  Boil beet root stems until soft, remove from water, cool and dice into cubes. Fold in beetroot stems and nuts. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and butter. Sprinkle this mixture over the unbaked loaves. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a loaf comes out clean.

June
Yana Liakhouskaya , Bellarus via Brooklyn Ger-Nis Office!

Some things in life I am learning more and more are quite simple and require very little work, very little thinking and any and more importantly very few words.  This is a trait I must say is foreign to me and sometimes can be frightening.  In this case I find it actually quite simple, maybe a sign I am finally learning something in life!  Yana who works in our office here, as the customer service manager for our organic & fair-trade fruit and vegetable division, often teaches us the art of simplicity.  She likes things simple and understands the art of few words and not over thinking.  I am often envious of her in this regard.

We have been living without air-conditioning so far this summer in our new home and although we thought it would be lovely to have fresh air and real temperatures, the air was not flowing and stagnant and we were simply just sweating at our desks, with fans running blowing our papers all over the place, we have been hot and in need for cooling.

Thus came: watermelon with lime juice to our summertime office regime.  Rediscovered on my recent trip to Mexico Yana has taken over the love of this cooling and quite special treat, more simple than you could ever imagine and more rewarding than the most elaborate meal.

No need for too many more words, I used to many as it is, no need for a recipe either.  Take cold ripe red watermelon and drizzle fresh lime juice on it!  That’s it.  Enjoy!!  We enjoy it daily at the office!  Even now that we broke down and got air conditioning! 

Danielle Peterson, Minneapolis, MN  (caked baked in Brooklyn)

The art of cake baking something I have very little interest in, I believe partially because I don’t have a big sweet tooth and partially because baking just doesn’t excite me like other cooking.  I’d rather have a steak or big bowl full of vegetables over dessert any day.  As I have grown older I have noticed a little bit more craving of sweets especially after a meal so as I still am not a big dessert person I am certainly more open to it than ever before, but as you can imagine I am particular, typically prefer desserts not too sweet and desserts that are tart and more on the savory side.

My friend Danielle who is an exceptional cake baker asked me last year what type of cake I wanted, we threw a big dinner party and her task was the cake.I debated while knowing that I needed to please the crowd and myself, it’s my nature!  Finally I said to Danielle, I want a 3-4 layer buttermilk lemon cake that is super lemony, in between the layers I want a rich lemon curd covered by fresh strawberries soaked in lemon juice sugar and tons of basil, and for the frosting nothing except lemon zest cream cheese!  And for decorations fresh strawberries and basil.  This is the exact cake Danielle ended up making, it was my dream cake, my birthday cake!  Now I wouldn’t even release this recipe but about a month before my birthday Danielle made MY CAKE for someone else, she said it was in the name of practicing……nonetheless, I cannot forgive her for betraying me and making my cake for another, so here it is I post it for all and I will come up with a new one for next year!!!

Buttermilk Lemon Cake

1 ¾ cups sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3  tablespoons lemon zest
3 large eggs
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk

Preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 ½-inch-high sides. Beat sugar, butter and lemon peel in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk in lemon juice. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Stir dry ingredients into lemon mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Divide batter among prepared pans. Bake until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer pans to racks and cool 15 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks and cool completely

Strawberries & Basil Layer

4 cups strawberries, cleaned & hulled and sliced thick
1 cup sugar
½ cup fresh basil chopped fine
½ cup lemon juice

Mix ingredients together in a large mixing bowl gently.  Allow to soak for approx 20 minutes, strain so that no juice is remaining.

Lemon Zest Cream Cheese Frosting

18 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
½ cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons lemon zest

In a food processor combine all ingredients and mix until smooth.

To assemble the cake in between each layer put approx 1 -1 ½  cups of the strawberry mixture
And then frost.

Olof Pierson, Fairgrove, Missouri  (my brother)

The art of beans and rice making can be a daunting task.  Most are intimidated by just the thought of making a large pot of beans from scratch and most don’t believe they can make light and fluffy fly through the air rice either.  But…..rest assured it can be done!  Now in my family the art of making rice and beans and the recipe itself calls for a lot of different opinions on the topic itself plus a bit or arguing and a large pinch of I told you so’s.

Olof the middle child really and my younger brother is filled with I told you so’s so clearly he is the one that took control over all of our beans and rice making chores while in Nosara.  A few us got to slip in a few pots here and there but typically the bully in the kitchen, Olof was the ultimate beans and rice leader.  We all had our roles really, Rachel was salsa queen and I was the captain of the fresh fish boat, Olof’s domination of the beans and rice didn’t get anyone to upset, in fact he did such a great job that in the end we preferred it. Even when Naomi, our Costa Rican housekeeper for our vacation rental, tired to make beans and rice for us, Olof got a little territorial.

Okay enough of knocking Olof around, his beans and rice are pretty kick ass actually and he has a few trade secrets that I am sure to get in trouble for telling!

Serves 12…or a few people for several days, this is the way Olof cooks

Beans
3 cups of black beans, cleaned and rinsed thoroughly
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
Water

Place all ingredients in a  a large soup pot (heavy bottomed), turn burner on high and bring to a boil uncovered. Let boil rapidly for about 10 minutes and then turn burner down to medium low.  Boil beans adding water  as the water evaporates for approximately 3 hours or until beans are tender and soft.  Let stand for about an hour, this is a key part of a good pot of beans.  Reheat before serving and place leftovers in refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days, add more water as needed.

Rice

Serves 12, again Olof’s style
To cook rice well you have to have an arrogance about you that only Olof could really have, most people’s failures comes from using too much water, stirring too often and peeking under the lid…….Olof’s advice…commit to it.

4 cups of white long grain rice
6 cups of water

First the real secret to flakey fly through the air rice is to wash the starch out of it, yes wash the rice first always when making Latin American style rice.  So in a large colander (wire mesh preferred) rinse the rice well under running water.  Rinse the rise about 4-5 times, letting the water run through the rice.  Allow the rice to sit letting all the water drain out of the colander.

Place the rice and the water in  a large heavy bottom pan and bring to a boil uncovered.  After the water beings to boil turn the rice down to low and cover well (a good lid is key!).  Boil on low for one hour without checking on it by lifting the pan, you can check on it by experiencing the smell, if for some reason the water has evaporated before the rice is ready you will smell the rice begin to burn and if this happens add ¼ cup of water .

After the hour is up check the rice by lifting the pan and tasting the texture when the rice is at desired texture turn off burner and let stand for about 20 minutes.  Walla…..simple and tasty.

Amelia Ruth, St Paul, Minnesota

First the Hungarian part of this recipe I am not sure works for us or not, however when we think of goulash we typically think Hungarian, which is how the title came to be I believe.  The recipe was concocted late into the night (morning actually) after a night out on the town in Tel Aviv, while Amelia was visiting me.  Typically I am the one cooking our meals but on this very special (and a wee bit intoxicated) of occasion, Amelia got the cooking bug.  The kitchen was a bit bare due to the fact that we had been on a journey to eat our way through Tel Aviv, so Amelia dug around came up with a few choice ingredients and walla, out came Hungarian Goulash, and like all “wee bit intoxicated” moments it was accompanied by a song entitled Hungarian Goulash!

Serves 2
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small jar anchovies packed in oil
1 small jar tomato sauce
Salt/pepper
2 cups  cooked cavateli pasta
Bulgarian feta

In a medium sauté pan, heat oil and sauté garlic and red chili flakes for aabout a minute.  Add anchovies and cook stirring well until anchovies break a part.  Add tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.  Mix with cooked pasta and serve with a chunk of feta on the top!