Small plates

We had a small gathering of friends who created a number of tasty 'small plates' or tapas...it was delicious!

Tapas [ˈtapas]) is the name for a wide variety of appetizers in Spanish cuisine. They may be cold, such as mixed olives and cheese, or warm, such as puntillitas, Andalusian battered, fried baby squid. In Spain (mainly in the southern half of the country), tapas are usually given for free to accompany a drink before lunch or dinner. In the United States and the United Kingdom, tapas have evolved into an entire cuisine; at Spanish restaurants, patrons may order many different small tapas, and combine them for a full meal.

Koko sutra

NO WAAAY! Chocolate Cake

(no gluten or refined sugar)

¾ C water ¼ tsp salt
1 C buttermilk 1 C cocoa powder
½ C butter 1 ½ tsp baking soda
¼ C canola oil 1 C brown rice flour (heaping)
1 C agave (or use xylotol or fructose) 1 C tapioca flour
3 eggs ½ tsp xanthan gum
1 or 2 tsp vanilla

Prepare 2 round pans with parchment on the bottom and grease with veg. oil.
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
Blend all the dry ingredients in large bowl. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl beat butter, canola oil, and agave until light and fluffy and creamy.
Add vanilla and eggs one at a time- whipping on high.
Add buttermilk and blend.
Add dry mix a bit at a time while mixing.
Pour into 2 round pans and bake for 25-30 mins. Cool- run knife around edge, turn out on racks

Chocolate Mousse Filling
1 ½ C whipping cream 1 tsp vanilla
4 Tblsp cocoa or more to taste 2 Tblsp agave or more to taste

Whip cream, vanilla and agave until a soft cream- add cocoa and whip stiffer. Use as filling between your two cake rounds.

Buttery Frosting
6 egg yolks ½ C agave
¼ C water 1 ½ cubes soft butter

Boil water and agave until soft ball stage-(not too long or you’ll make taffy).
Whip yolks on high and slowly add hot syrup mix- beat until outside of bowl is cool.
Add butter a little at a time. Flavor with any extract and color. IF you want a chocolate frosting add 1 Cup melted and cooled grain sweetened chocolate chips and or cocoa powder. Experiment with what you like and according to dietary needs. Cool frosting before spreading. (Refrigerating the whole cake before serving at this point is nice.)

Decorate top of cake with extra mousse, fruit, nuts, healthy candies etc.

Lemon Mousse

1/8 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup water
1/2 Tbl unflavored gelatin
dash salt
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 egg whites

Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup agave nectar
zest of one lemon, for garnish

Mix the agave, water, gelatin, salt and lemon juice together in a
double-boiler to 150 degrees until all the ingredients are dissolved.
Remove from heat, and let cool in the refrigerator until almost set.

With a mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold into
chilled mixture.

To make whipped cream, mix heavy cream and agave together in a large
bowl with a mixer until peaks appear. Gently fold whipped cream into
mousse mixture. Refrigerate to develop flavors. To serve, garnish with
additional whipped cream and lemon zest.

Vintage ads

Hmmmm, processed food and meat...you're right in liking them.








I don't know about you, but there's nothing more exciting for Maribel and I than looking at dripping bacon.








Isn't it interesting how we seem, even today, to worship the mono-culture of processed food.











How can you argue with this kind of logic and strong use of imagery.

Funny Ad

Nice billboard...after reading the Omnivores dilemma I can better understand becoming a vegetarian.

A recipe from JoFU

As many of you know I am into whole grains (Brown rice, unrefined flours, etc) and no refined sugar. I have found this to be both healthy and liberating. If we are more conscious about what we put into our bodies we will also be more aware of our environment and our own place within it.
"So what the heck do you eat for dessert?", you ask. Surprisingly- the foods I have found are yummy and easy to make. I will post some of these recipes if there seems to be an interest. What I will say is the agave nectar is a versatile and delicious sweetener- I use it for ice cream, cookies, cakes and candies. I order it from Amazon to find a cheaper price than the local Health Store. My sister and I have been using it for years- long before anyone knew what it was or before Oprah made it a a more familiar name. Here are two recipes that can easily lead to more. Thankfully my children love it also.

CARMEL SAUCE

1 cup Whipping cream

1/3 C Agave

Tbls vanilla

Tblsp butter

Dash sea salt

Combine in nonstick saucepan- let boil until golden brown. This recipe can be modified with more or less of any ingredient- I never measure anymore.

BROWNIES

4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate

1 ½ sticks butter (3/4 C)

1 C brown rice syrup (found at Good Earth)

½ C Agave

3 eggs

1tsp vanilla ( Or more)

1 C flour (white wheat flour or ½ red wheat, ½ barley or br. Rice flour, Tapioca flour, combine any you like) I like using half Brown Rice and half Tapioca flour.

Chopped nuts optional

Melt choc and butter together, stir in sweetner (adjust to taste some prefer more of one than the other)- Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add flour and nuts ( or grain sweetened choc chips). Spread intogreased foil lined 13by9 “ pan. Bake 350 for 30 min (give or take a few Toothpick should come out fudgy- don’t overbake. Cool and cut up.

Pour Carmel over it brownies and eat!

okonomiyaki too

this is something a colleague who I met in japan sent to help me make this dish.

let them eat cake!

This lovely cake is the creation of Ali and Jo, perhaps somewhat inspired by a recipe from the NYC Chocolate Bar.

okonomiyaki

Jamie ate some interesting food while at Hiroshima. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, Okonomiyaki^?) is a pan-fried Japanese dish cooked with various ingredients. Okonomi means "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki means "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba); thus, the name of this dish means "cook what you like, the way you like". In Japan, okonomiyaki is usually associated with the Kansai or Hiroshima areas. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region.

Kaitan sushi in Tokoyo

Kaiten-zushi is a sushi restaurant where the plates with the sushi are placed on a rotating conveyor belt that winds through the restaurant and moves past every table and counter seat. Customers may place special orders, but most simply pick their selections from a steady stream of fresh sushi moving along the conveyor belt. The final bill is calculated based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi. While in Japan on a Fulbright I took this photo at an upscale sushi place...I alot of fun.