I Have My Incentive Now

I have been trying to get to outdoor morning yoga at least once a week (a little interrupted by travelling) because I feel so much better the rest of the day if I do. Ideally, I’d like to have a daily yoga practice, but it’s likely going to take me a little while to work up to it. 7 a.m. classes!

But I just today realized that the outdoor yoga space for my studio (And then there was well), held in someone’s backyard, is only a block away from The Daly Bagel — I think I have my incentive now. 🙂

Cardamom & Honey Snickerdoodles

I really didn’t feel like working today, so while I managed to pull myself together for an hour-long SLF monthly meeting (we have three interns right now! three!), I have given myself permission to goof off for the rest of the day.

Which apparently means watching Leverage: Redemption (three episodes in so far, v. good) and baking snickerdoodles for the summer Patreon treat boxes, which I suppose does qualify as working, but is also just lovely, with a cool rainy day outside and the kitchen smelling so yummy. (The kids are excited.)

I took a base snickerdoodle recipe, replaced some sugar with a little honey, which makes them just a touch moister and more complex in flavor, and added some cardamom to the traditional cinnamon inside and out, which makes them beautifully aromatic. Happy with the result.

*****

Cardamom & Honey Snickerdoodles

(30 minutes, makes about 36 cookies)

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. + 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. + 1/4 t. ground cardamom
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t. honey

1 t. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Either grease or use parchment paper on baking sheets; set aside.

2. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. cardamom; set flour mixture aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and 1 c. of sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the egg, honey, and vanilla, then slowly beat in the flour mixture.

4. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 T sugar, 1/2 t. cinnamon, and 1/4 t. cardamom.

5. Form dough into small (roughly 3/4-inch) balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon-cardmom mixture, then place the balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and slightly cracked on the top; transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Lime Pickle

(makes about 1 quart jar; 15 minutes + a few weeks of preserving time)

Tart, spicy, and salty, with a hint of aromatic spices, lime pickle is a wonderful complement to your meal. I first encountered a simple version of preserved limes in Little Women, where the schoolgirls had been banned from eating them. I had to learn more about why pickled limes might be banned:

“…they were sold from glass jars on top of candy-store counters, and some families even bought them by the barrel. Because the import tariff for pickled limes was quite low – importers fought to keep them classed as neither fresh fruit nor pickle – children could buy them cheaply, often for a penny apiece. Kids chewed, sucked, and traded pickled limes at school (and not just at recess) for decades, making the limes the perennial bane of New England schoolteachers. Doctors tended to disapprove of the limes…in 1869 a Boston physician wrote that pickled limes were among the “unnatural and abominable” substances consumed by children with nutritional deficiencies.” Parents, however, seemed generally content for children to indulge themselves in the pickled-lime habit.” – Pickling, Linda Ziedrich

Since pickled limes are quite salty, be sure to pair them with curries that are less so, for a beautifully balanced meal.

8 limes
1/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 t. black mustard seed
1 t. fennel seed
1 t. fenugreek seed
2 stalks curry leaves (about two dozen leaves)
1 t. cayenne (optional)
1 t. turmeric
1/4 c. lime juice (plus more as needed)

1. Quarter limes. Rub salt into limes, then transfer limes to sterilised glass jars. Seal and let sit for three days; once a day, open the jars and press the limes down, squeezing juice out. At the end of three days, the rinds should have yellowed, and the limes should be submerged in juice; if not fully submerged, add more lime juice to cover.

NOTE: At this point, you have preserved limes, and you can eat them as is. If you let them sit for a few more weeks, the flavors will mellow and blend harmoniously. Many cuisines use preserved limes; it’s common in that case to remove the flesh of the lime (which will be very salty), and only retain the rind / pith, which may be sliced and used in various dishes. Or, continue on with your entire limes to make lime pickle.

2. In a sauté pan, heat oil on high, add mustard seeds, and cook until they start to pop.

3. Turn down heat to medium and add remaining spices (if you’d prefer a smoother result, you may roughly grind spices before adding), preserved limes, and lime juice. Cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you’d prefer a brighter, more fresh-fruit flavor, you may omit cooking the limes here, and simply pour the tempered spice mix over the limes in a bowl, combining well.)

4. Turn seasoned limes into sterilized glass jars, pressing down to compress. Set aside for 2 weeks to develop flavors; once a day, invert the jars so the seasoned liquid may permeate all the limes. Serve as an accompaniment to rice and curries.

NOTE: Once opened, store in the fridge for up to six months, or follow proper canning procedures for long-term pantry storage. When storing, a layer of oil on top of the limes will aid in preservation.

Ocean Cookies

All done with my ocean cookies. 🙂 I love how the silvery bits look like light glinting off the water.

Beetroot Cocktail

(Yes, I bought myself the cutest little mushroom glass on the planet for this recipe. I wasn’t sure I was up for a mushroom cocktail (which are apparently a thing), but beets are nice and earthy…)

*****

Beetroot Cocktail

Delicious, yet also full of healthy nutrients. This will make enough for several cocktails.

Juice:
2 c. beets, peeled and roughly chopped
2 c. coconut milk
1/4 c. sugar or jaggery
1/4 c. lime juice
1 t. ground cardamom

Arrack

1. Combine juice ingredients in blender and liquefy. (For a thinner cocktail, add up to 2 c. water.)

2. For each serving, stir 1-2 oz. arrack into 3/4 c. juice. Serve cold.

Optional spicy variation: Some chopped green chili would go nicely with this!

A Little Tricky

It can be a little tricky working with embossed rolling pins, because if the dough is too chilled and hard, it’s tough to press enough for a good impression, but if it’s too soft and warm, it just smooshes and tears. With my shortbread dough, I usually find that 15 minutes in the fridge is about right:

– make dough & preheat oven
– put a sheet of parchment paper on a large cutting board
– pat out half the dough
– add a second sheet of parchment paper and roll flat to desired thickness
– chill 15 minutes in fridge
– remove top sheet of parchment paper and roll with embossing pin
– cut into squares (or as desired)
– slide parchment paper with embossed cookies to baking sheet (I like the insulated ones for even baking) and
– put baking sheet in fridge for another 15 minutes — don’t skip this, or the dough will spread too much and you’ll lose a lot of definition
– bake 12-15 minutes

Making cookies this way is a bit of a process; I did a batch last night, and I think it took about 2 hours total. But I was reading a great book, so it was mostly do a thing, set a timer, read for a while, do a thing, set a timer, read for a while, repeat. Pleasant and peaceful way to spend an evening. With a nice big cookie as reward when I was done. 🙂

Vegan Serendib Kickstarter Is Closed

I meant to post a reminder about the Kickstarter before it closed, but I forgot! Apologies, folks. But you can still pre-order Vegan Serendib from our site, no worries! Just visit:

www.serendibshop.com

The Kickstarter did very well, with 216 backers pledging $9,254 in the end (initial goal of $2500). I feel like I basically know how to do this Kickstarter thing now, with 5 projects, all successfully funded. Thank you all for your support — you folks know how to make a girl feel loved. 🙂

More soon — I have one final recipe to draft today, and then it’ll be time to start hunting recipe testers and working on interior design. If you’re interested in recipe testing, let me know — I’m asking that you test at least 5 recipes and send me your comments, in exchange for an ebook (of either Vegan or Feast, your choice) that you can gift to a friend or family member if you like.

https://www.kickstarter.com/…/vegan-serendib-a-sri…