Walnut Crusted Pear-Ginger Tart

November 21, 2014 Kathleen Henry

If you're like me, you just got a legion of pears in your produce box.

It was quite a thrilling experience though, I must say. This go-around, they were red pears! Huzzah! Growing up in Alaska, I've never seen red pears before (I don't want your pity.) They were the most beautiful pears I'd ever laid my eyes upon and I knew they had to go towards something special.

Everyone is poaching pears it seems, but I don't know think that's my thing. It seems a bit too stuffy of a dish. So very bovaristic. Besides, I don't like the name. I find them intimidating. And I wouldn't go as far to say that poached pears creep me out, buuut...yes. That is what I am saying. They're weird and make me want to run away. All naked and strange. There is no logic for this, I am fully aware.

Produce On Parade - Walnut Crusted Pear-Ginger Tart - An inspiring vacation from the apple and pumpkin pies of the season. Fresh ginger and juicy pears lay abed a sweet walnut crust.

“If you want to find happiness, find gratitude.”

— Steve Maraboli

Anyways, moving on. This tart. It's an inspiring departure from the apple and pumpkin pies of the season. Such narcissists, don't you think? Share the spotlight a little won't you?Fresh ginger and juicy pear lay abed this sweet walnut and date crust. A novel dessert for this Thanksgiving. Just push aside the other desserts for later.

This ginger, I had just bought from the store and whoa doggy...it was spicy as hell!! I had to scrape off the ginger bits because I didn't mince them as well as I intended. Doh! Use your brain and use a grater...unlike me.

Walnut Crusted Pear-Ginger Tart

An inspiring vacation from the apple and pumpkin pies of the season. Fresh ginger and juicy pears lay abed a sweet walnut crust. NOTES: Be sure to use grated fresh ginger, or a fresh ginger paste, or mince it into eternity. You don't want a spicy little bite of ginger! Make sure to lay the tart pan on foil, it will boil over.

Yield: 10 slices (1 8" tart)

Ingredients

-- Crust--
1 cup whole walnuts
5 medjool dates, pitted
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. whole flax seed
¼ tsp. pumpkin pie spice
splash of maple syrup
pinch of kosher salt
-- Pears --
3 large ripe (but not super ripe) pears, sliced into about 1/8 inch slices
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (half a lemon)
2 Tbsp. vegan white sugar
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cooking Directions

In a food processor, process all the crust ingredients for a few minutes until it about forms a ball.
Press into a tart pan. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place the sliced pears and remaining ingredients, excluding the brown sugar in a medium bowl and toss well to coat.
Arrange in the tart pan over the uncooked crust. Top with the brown sugar.
Place the tart on a foil-lined baking sheet (don’t skip this!!) in the oven for about 40 minutes until the tops of the pears are slightly browned.
Remove and allow to cool completely before removing from the tart pan.
Serve warm, or chilled.

Dutch Word of The Day

Snow --> Sneeuw (snee-eww)

Good Deed of The Day

So...the insane amount of snow that blanketed Buffalo, fell just short of the disputed one-day snowfall record set in Valdez, Alaska in 1963. I have no words for this, and it's not really related to the Good Deed of The Day, but...WHATISHAPPENING?! I still have no snow...in ALASKA! Now you know. Go tell your friends of your brilliant trivia. See the full story in our local Alaskan paper.

Blueberry Pie Quinoa Porridge

January 9, 2014 Kathleen Henry

Real quick, I have a little eco tip! I hate getting phone books. Who uses phone books anymore, seriously!? No really, I want to know. It's absurdity. Anyways, you can opt out of receiving them and it just takes a minute, truly. So if you have phone book recycling guilt, just opt out here. And now, a confession. Red quinoa isn't my friend anymore. It was a short relationship. Every time I try to make it, it boils over, a problem I never had with good ol' regular white quinoa. Also, I do not like it's texture. It's like munching on soggy packing peanuts. This is, of course, just my opinion.

Last night, after the umami bomb, I felt like something sweet for dinner. Sweet, but still healthy, so I made some quinoa porridge. It's like steel cut oats, but quinoa instead. It's healthier, heartier and a complete protein! Also, it's just so rustic and lovely.

This quinoa porridge is a healthier take on blueberry pie and oatmeal! It's a little bit chewy, lovingly spiced, and speckled with plump, tart blueberries. The sweetness is cut through with a little lemon zest and topped with crunchy walnuts, pecans and chia seeds for some extra protein.

Blueberry Pie Quinoa Porridge

Serves 1-2

Porridge:
1/2 cup dry red quinoa
1 1/2 cup non-dairy + additional (soy milk)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
grating of fresh nutmeg
1 tsp. chai latte powder (optional)
heaping 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
Toppings:
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)
sprinkling of chia seeds
lemon zest, to taste
fresh lemon squeeze, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine all the porridge ingredients except for the blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally and ensuring that it doesn't foam over. The quinoa should be the consistency of wet oatmeal when done.

Remove from heat and stir in the blueberries, allowing them to warm up for a few minutes, especially if they're frozen.

Adorn with toppings, to your taste preference. I'm not a big lemon zest person, so I only use a little bit.

Add a little additional milk if you like, and serve warm!

A delightful breakfast, or if you're like me...dinner!

Singing along to Young the Giant – Cough Syrup

[yumprint-recipe id='62']

Rum Spiced Soft Pumpkin Muffins

January 2, 2014 Kathleen Henry

Okay, I have two pretty neat and equally exciting things to share today. Number one, we have over 500 likes on Facebook! Must be all those Alaskan pics. Cool beans, huh? Sometimes it's fun to get excited about such little things. Number two, Swiftype is finally working again! Hurray! Swiftype populates the search bar, which I love. So if you type in "muffins" it will population a list of all my muffin recipes. Or if you type in "spinach" it will populate a list of all my recipes including spinach! I was driven utterly bonkers while it wasn't working. So, anyways, both are...preh-tee, preh-tee, preh-TEE exciting. Happy New Years! I must confess; New Years is my absolute least favorite holiday. Truly, it's the worst. What do I hate more than rambunctious parties? Fireworks. I'm like a dog in that regard, I suppose. Bailey hates them as well. We have to make him a bomb shelter in tub. Plus, staying up until midnight!? Not for this ol' gal. Yes, I'm the The Grinch Whole Stole...New Years. This is not to dispute the fact that I did, however, have a lovely New Years eve.

Todd and I went to a low-key, sit-around-table and talk with the lights low while soft music plays in the background type of party. There may have been vegan spring rolls and oreos and vegan caramel corn involved. I would like to take a moment to thank that special person in my life who made all that possible! Thank you! And I didn't even have to drink or stay up until midnight, either. Man, what a party pooper! We were the youngest there and the first to leave. In bed by 11:30pm, it was all pretty pathetic of us to be honest. Two childless, mid-twenty somethings should definitely be able to do better than that. I'll put it on the list of New Years resolutions. Just kidding...I don't do those...

Any who, to this geriatric little shindig, I brought some fabulous pumpkin muffins! I whipped them right up after work, all in a snap and let me tell you , they are absolutely one of the best muffins I've ever had, truly.

These guys are so incredibly soft and borderline gooey. They almost melt in your mouth! You may think they need a little more time in the oven, but they're supposed to be very moist. With just a whisper of rum, and deliciously spiced these fluffy, sweet muffins are kindred to a perfect pumpkin pie and will be a total hit at any party.

Rum Spiced Soft Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12

Dry:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat white flour
1 cup vegan sugar (I like Zulka)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Wet:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup cartoned coconut milk
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. spiced dark rum (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

In a medium bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Do you adore my sweet little measuring spoons? I love them!

Preheat the oven to 400 F and coat a regular muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. I got The Flavor Bible for Christmas and pretty much died on the spot.

Divide batter evenly in the muffin pan and bake at 400 F for about 20 minutes. The edges should begin brown slightly and the top of the muffin should bounce back when gently poked with a finger.

Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan, before popping them out. My god! Look how gooey and soft!

I couldn't of pulled it off without my kitchen helpers. Okay, that's not true, they are mostly a hindrance. Like furry, oddly-shaped movable rugs that are constantly tripping me and trying to snatch things off the table when my head's turned. Not pictured: Todd.