Thursday, October 31, 2013

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal

Hallelujah, we have an oven!  It's been a long 8 months without an oven and I have to say, I will do my best never to go that long without an oven again!  Here in the Netherlands, these combination unit devices are more common than having a stand alone oven.  While I'm sure there are some higher end brands, the ones I've come across are crap and do not work as a microwave or an oven! I think the Dutch should throw caution to the wind on this one, sacrifice efficiency this time, and throw this combination microwave/oven idea out the window!

So, being a bit more tempered about this, after living for 2 years in Italy without a microwave and only an oven, I was at a loss when I first arrived in the Netherlands with this combination devices.  Cook fish on the stove-top? What?  Well, of course we adapted after a while, but baking things likes cakes, scones, brownies, roasted vegetables were all out the window, it was almost like a whole food group was gone! I'm happy it's back and here's my first recipe I'd like to share with my newly installed oven (credit goes to the hubs for that!).

This recipe is derived from this post, one of the few food blogs I follow regularly.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted 
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree 
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups of milk (I used full fat, but the original recipe indicates skim milk will work)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 cups of rolled oats
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter, if using salted butter leave this out)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves (not the original recipe calls for 1/8, but I like the clove flavor so I doubled it)
  • 1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I had pecans, the original recipe calls for walnuts)
Directions: 
  1. Preheat the oven (!) to 350 degrees F (or in my world, 175 degrees C).  Brush a light coating of melted butter onto your baking pan (muffin tin, mini loaf pan or regular loaf pan) or spray with cooking spray and set aside. 
  2. In a bowl, combine the melted butter, pumpkin puree, sugar, skim milk, and eggs.  Use a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or use an immersion blender and mix on low to medium speed until the mixture is smooth and the lumps from the pumpkin puree are gone. 
  3. Slowly add the rolled oats, baking powder, salt (if using unsalted butter), cinnamon, ginger, and ground cloves mixing well (by hand if not using a standing mixer, on low if using a standing mixer).  
  4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the chopped nuts until thoroughly incorporated. 
  5. Evenly divide the batter or spoon into the prepared pan and bake until lightly golden.  The muffins/loaves should be springy, about 30 minutes. 
(Not the greatest photo in the world, but a really hearty breakfast.  When it first came out of the oven, we topped it with butter and brown sugar - similar to how I normally eat my oatmeal.  I've been taking it to work now for breakfast or a snake and it's great as is, definitely feels healthy and not very sweet at all. If you want a sweeter treat, up the amount of granulated white sugar or add brown sugar to the mix).  



If you try it and find other variations you like, please drop a note and let me know!  

Buon Appetito!


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

The Favored Daughter by Fawzia Koofi Book Review


The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future by Fawzia Koofi

Read: September 2013
Source: Book Club Selection for October 2013, recommended by a member
Medium: iPhone and Kindle



The Favored Daughter is a true story and memoir of an Afghani woman, Fawzia Koofi, to surpass cultural expectations and become the first female Speaker of Parliament in Afghanistan (now running for President).

Format thoughts:  Each ‘chapter’ opens with a letter to Mrs. Koofi’s daughters followed by a chapter of real life events that embody a life lesson she often gives in each letter.  I didn't mind this format in the beginning, but towards the end, these letters no longer appeared to be genuine to me... I felt as if they were written for the book, rather than used retrospectively as if they were originally written for her daughters alone.  I’m not sure what the exact story is behind these letters, but this was my impression.  Regardless, these letters allowed Mrs. Koofi to set the scene for each dramatic event in her life that has played a role in the person she is today.  These letters, of course, lend a hand in explaining Mrs. Koofi visions for the future of Afghanistan.  Towards the end, I began to dislike the format.  There was quite a bit of repetition not only in the letters, but also in her desires to change Afghanistan.  The book became preachy in the last chapter, and in my opinion, it could have been wiped from the book. 

I found this book to be educational and inspiring and I recommend you spend the time to read this book. I found myself in disbelief that someone could live and survive in such circumstances.  Prior to reading this book, I had no appreciation for Afghanistan’s history, the multitude of wars and the lack of stability in the country for so many years.  If you gain nothing else from this book besides an understanding of the political history of Afghanistan beginning from the cold war, through 9-11 up to today, I think it’s completely worth the time.  At a minimum, Mrs. Koofi has shed light on the tumultuous history of Afghanistan, which provides a basic understanding of why change can be so difficult to achieve. 

I finished this book in a matter of a couple of weeks, and while I found some of the text lacking depth and a few open ended stories, I can’t say it influenced the draw to continue reading.  I was especially drawn in by Mrs. Koofi’s explanation of the clan-like family culture that seems integral to the way of life in Afghanistan.  It’s probably not something one can fully appreciate unless its inherent to your lifestyle, but it was eye-opening to learn of the strong bond of the Afghani family, whether immediate, by marriage, or otherwise!  This was immensely clear when Mrs. Koofi chose to run for Speaker of Parliament and had to rely on her extended family for support.   

This book was the October selection, but unfortunately I did not find any published questions for the meeting.  So, if you choose this book for your club, take some time to write some questions/discussion points (or take notes as your reading… if you do that!). 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Raghavan Iyer's Sliced Okra Soup (bathed in Buttermilk) from 660 Curries

I'm finally back in the kitchen, inspired by local ingredients and fellow friends helping me get back into the groove of things.  I'm definitely working my way back up the hill, but things are looking up.  This weekend was fantastic cooking-wise, I managed to get a number of recipes under my belt that I'm happy to be writing about.  I think I spent both Saturday and Sunday in the kitchen for a minimum of four hours each, but I am slowly beginning to feel normal in the kitchen again.

This recipe was one I decided on last minute on Saturday to accompany some roasted lamp chops I threw together (roasted in our brand new oven, more to come on that!) for dinner.  While I'm not sure it was the greatest pairing in the world, this was a delicious soup and fabulously simple to prepare and cook that I am inclined to make this a standard go-to 'open friends eyes to Indian food' recipe!

Note, I didn't plan well enough in advance to have buttermilk on hand.  Upon researching via the internet, I did find that a common replacement is one tablespoon of lemon juice for every cup of milk. Based on my research, the amount of time you should let the mixture sit is non-standard, I read anywhere between 2 and 10 minutes.  I ended up going with about 5 minutes, for good measure. Admittedly I have no idea what this recipe tastes like when buttermilk is used, but if you're looking for an healthy alternative, milk with lemon juice is a good one!

Ingredients:
1 pound okra (I used a frozen bag since good, fresh okra is available here.  These will little mini-okra which were cute, tasted the same as long okra)
4 cups buttermilk (or as per above, I used 1 tablespoon of lemon juice for every cup of milk, let the mixture stand for about 5 minutes before using)
2 tablespoons of chickpea flour (also called Besan in Hindi, can be found in any Indian grocery store or perhaps try a Whole Foods type of store)
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of ground tumeric
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems (remove bulky stems)
12 medium-sized to large fresh curry leaves (as Raghavan advises in his book, there is no replacement for these leaves, if you don't have them just omit them.  Usually found in any Indian grocery store.  I only had dried leaves available when I made this soup)
2 tablespoons Ghee or melted butter
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds (I just realized this recipe calls for fenugreek seeds and I used fennel, I will have to try this again!)


  1. Trim the caps off the okra, and then cut the pods into 1 inch lengths.  Cut the pieces length wise.
  2. Whisk the buttermilk/milk, chickpea flour, sugar, salt, cayenne, and turmeric together in a bowl, making sure the flour is completely incorporated with no lumps.  Then stir in the cilantro and curry leaves.                                        
  3. Heat the ghee or melted butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle the cumin and fennel seeds into the pan and cook until they sizzle, turn brown-ish, and are fragrant, about 10 seconds.  
  4. Immediately add the okra and stir-fry until the slices blister in spots and acquire a light brown coloration on their skin, between 8 and 10 minutes.  
  5. Pour in the spiced buttermilk/milk mixture and stir once or twice to deglaze the pan, releasing any browned bits of spices and okra.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the okra is fork tender and the curry has thickened slightly, 10 to 12 minutes.  The color of the liquid will change from a pale, cream color to a bright yellow as the soup thickens.  


I hope you try this recipe and if you do, let me know what you think about it!

Eet Smakelijk (equivalent of Buon Appetito in Italian)!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Wild by Cheryl Strayed Book Review

Here's another book club read that we discussed for in July.  I've been working on this review for a while, just never was complete enough to post it.

Image from amazon.com

Wild by Cheryl Strayed is about a woman's journey to find herself after a series of poor choices and the tragic death of her mother on the Pacific Coast Trail (from Southern California to Oregon). Find a more detailed review here.

Cheryl starts her journey as an inexperienced hiker, making novice mistakes, but forced by her self-imposed circumstances and surroundings, learns how to be an avid and and agile hiker.   To her surprise (and mine as well), she doesn't dwell on the life events she thought she would when she set out on this hike (her mother's death, her divorce, her drug abuse), but rather focuses on how to accomplish the tasks of the next day.  As hiking becomes more natural for her and she is reassured by her fellow PCT hikers, she finally begins to ponder life, her decisions in life, and its unfairness.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to anyone.  Yes, this is a 'find yourself', true-life story and the author takes a literal and figurative journey in life, one where Cheryl Strand hopes to weed through and reflect on her recent past of poor decisions and emotional roller coasters.  The actuality of hiking the (PCT) trail that most avid hikers train for, without any preparation (including how to prepare her pack) is in itself the life experience that lends to the emotional and personal reflection Cheryl Strand hoped for when she set out on the journey.

There are portions of the book I found very moving and emotional for me.  It's difficult to put into words why these portions were so moving except that they were stories in which the reader finds Cheryl resolving the unsettled emotions of her wayward life before beginning this hike. I couldn't stop myself from checking out who Cheryl Strand is today and where life has led her.  Of course, as one may expect she is happy, writing (as she wanted to), and re-married with children.  I recently heard a podcast on NPR where she indicated that through the book she has found her sister (daughter of her father and another woman), someone she knew existed, but was never sure if she would ever be in contact with, I imagine the changes in her life as a result of writing this book are worthy of their own telling!