Butternut Squash and Tahini Spread

(about 6 servings)

Recently I received "Jerusalem" by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi as a birthday present. I was thrilled because this is a book I was planning on getting after thoroughly enjoying Ottolenghi's, "Plenty". Unlike Plenty, Jerusalem is not strictly vegetarian. It explores (the London based) Ottolenghi's and Tamimi's vibrant cultures and cuisines of their home city. This delightful cookbook contains wonderful recipes, interesting anecdotes and beautiful photographs of both food and one of the most intriguing cities on this earth.

There are quite a few recipes I have bookmarked to try. I decided to start with this butternut squash and tahini spread. It reminds me a bit of a recipe in one of Paula Wolfert's cookbooks, but I think she uses summer squash and adds cumin and lemon juice to her version.

I've made a few minor changes (I'm not a big fan of raw garlic [two cloves seemed a lot] and I didn't have date syrup), however you can find the original recipe reprinted at, The Guardian.

This spread is amazing, and for me a welcome change from baba ghanoush which I make frequently.

adapted from Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, ©2012
1  large butternut squash, about 2 lbs

4 small garlic cloves, peeled

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp tahini paste
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tsp molasses
1/2 tsp water, if the molasses are super thick
1 tsp white sesame seeds, lightly toasted

1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Wash the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and then cut each half in half again, lengthwise.

Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the skin side down.

Place one garlic clove onto each of the four pieces, then drizzle the olive oil evenly over the squash. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the squash followed by the salt.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the squash is tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Remove the roasted garlic cloves and place those into the bowl of a food processor. Scrape the squash flesh out of the skins and add that to the food processor as well.

Add the tahini and yogurt. Cover and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. (I was tempted to add a pinch of cayenne at this point, but I stopped myself; perhaps next time.)

Spread the squash mixture over a plate. Drizzle the molasses (thinned with water if it's too thick) over the spread. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and chopped coriander.

Serve with cut up vegetables, crackers or pita bread.

Asparagus Soup

(2 - 3 servings)

Asparagus was on sale this week at Sprouts; 99¢ a pound. Beautiful slim green spears. I grabbed two bunches and munched on one as soon as I got home. I love raw asparagus, it reminds me of fresh green peas. The second bunch found its way into this soup.

1 lb asparagus
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or replace this amount with additional broth
2 3/4 cups vegetable broth
a small amount of olive oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp heavy cream

Wash the asparagus and snap off any woody ends (I only had 4 of these) and discard.

Cut off the tips and set aside. Cut the remainder of the spears into thin slices.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot with tight fitting lid, over a low flame.

Stir in the shallots and saute them until they are translucent. Add the asparagus and stirring from time to time cook them slowly over low heat for about 10-15 minutes taking care they don't burn. Stir in a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Increase the heat slightly and stir in the wine, if using (otherwise skip this step). Cook until most of the wine has evaporated.

Pour in the broth, give everything a good stir and cover the pot with a tight fitting lid. Lower the heat and cook for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Lightly oil an ovenproof dish with olive oil and add the asparagus tips. Drizzle a few drops of oil over the tips and roll them a round a bit to coat them, then arrange them in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast the tips for about 12-15 minutes or until you notice them lightly brown, then remove them from the oven.

Puree the soup either in a blender or with a hand held immersion blender until the soup is smooth. Stir in the vinegar, then taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.

Return to the stove and stir in the heavy cream. Allow the soup to heat up again without bringing it to a boil, otherwise the soup might curdle.

Divide the soup between 2 or 3 bowls and garnish with the roasted tips. Enjoy.

A Simple Frozen Banana Dessert

(2 servings)

A year or so ago I came across a posting about a single ingredient banana ice cream. I had forgotten about it until this weekend when I had a couple of very ripe bananas on my hands.

This is really simple if you have a food processor. It might work in a blender, but I haven't tried that. I made a chocolate coating for the ice cream and topped it with roughly chopped dry roasted cashews. Boy, was I amazed by how good this was! These bananas turned into the smoothest and creamiest ice cream ever. It was sweet enough and dairy free, and it really came down to just eating a banana or so.

If fat is an issue then don't bother with the chocolate coating or nuts. Bananas do contain a tiny amount of fat naturally. I looked it up, 1 g of fat in a 225 g serving.

banana ice cream
2-3 large very ripe bananas


chocolate coating
2 tbsp bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp virgin coconut oil (the kind for medium heat and solid in the jar)


4-5 dry roasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Peel the bananas and cut into slices. Place them inside a freezer bag and try to keep them in a single layer. Freeze overnight or until they are frozen solid.


Right before you remove the bananas from the freezer, make the chocolate coating.

Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a bowl. Set this over hot water or place it into the microwave and heat 10 seconds at a time until they begin to melt.

With either method, once most of the chocolate has melted about halfway or a bit more, remove it from the heat and continue to stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside.

Remove the frozen bananas from the freezer and place the slices into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until they break up and then continue to pulse until they form a ball.

Remove the top and scrape down the sides. Break up the ball and distribute it evenly around the bottom of the bowl. Replace the top and continue to pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Divide the ice cream between 2 bowls. Drizzle each with the chocolate coating (there's probably enough coating for 3 or 4 desserts; it hardens to a super thin shell the moment it hits the cold ice cream) and sprinkle each with the chopped nuts.

Enjoy.

Another Tomato & Cucumber Salad

(4 servings)

Tomatoes and cucumbers are in season at the moment in northern Texas. The local beefsteak tomatoes have been especially amazing; not only are they delicious, but they have a wonderful aroma. I've had them almost every night this week in some form of this salad which I posted previously using lime and cilantro.

Today I prepared it with basil and balsamic vinegar. I didn't even bother to toss the salad in a large bowl, but instead arranged the goodies on plates as I finished dicing them. This is such a simple and easy to make salad. If you can get your hands on the freshest ingredients, it will be packed full of flavour!

1 large English cucumber
1 large beefsteak tomato
1/4 red onion
8-10 fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Wash the cucumber and cut into 1/4 inch dice. Divide up among four plates.

Wash the tomato and then slice vertically into 1/4 inch thick slices (this helps prevent the seeds and juices from spilling out). Cut these slices further to form 1/4 inch dice. Divide these among the 4 plates arranging them over the cucumber.

Dice the red onion and sprinkle over the tomatoes on each plate.

Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt over each salad, followed with freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Wash, then cut the basil into thin strips. Divide these up among the four plates.

Lastly, drizzle one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar evenly over each of the 4 salads and then 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil over each.

You can serve the salads right away or leave them on the counter to marinate up to 30 minutes or so.

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes with Strawberries

(about 3  5" pancakes/serving)

Lately I've noticed a number of gluten free banana pancake recipes circulating the internet. I tried several and with a bit of experimentation ended up with this recipe. The resulting pancakes are a little on the flat side, not too sweet and not too eggy. I did get fluffy pancakes when I separated the eggs, beat the egg whites until they were stiff and folded those back into the batter, but that's just too much work for a Sunday morning. I tried a few batches with baking powder, and in the end omitted that because I didn't notice much of a difference. I also made these with and without coconut flour and I liked them best when they contained a small amount as that seemed to give them a bit more structure.

These banana pancakes are moist and delicious. Even if you can tolerate gluten, I highly recommend giving these a try, you might be surprised how good they are!

per serving
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 tsp brown sugar

1 medium just ripe banana (use an over-ripe banana if you prefer a sweeter pancake)
1 large egg
1 tbsp coconut flour

whipped cream, optional

Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut them in half and lay them in an even layer on a plate with the cut sides facing up. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the cut berries and set aside.

To make the pancakes in a food processor:
Peel and cut up the banana and place into bowl. Add the egg and coconut flour. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. You'll end up with about 3/4 cup of batter per serving.

To make the pancakes by hand:
Peel and cut up the banana and place into a bowl. Mash it with a fork until you have a fairly smooth mixture; a few lumps are ok. Stir in the egg and coconut flour. Mix until smooth. You'll end up with about 3/4 cup of batter per serving.

Heat a non stick griddle or large frying pan over medium-low heat. I tried a few different temperature settings and this worked best for me using a gas flame. You might have to experiment a bit as these pancakes will brown quickly if the temperature is too high.

Lightly grease the griddle and pour *small pancakes about 5" in diameter leaving  space around them. You'll use about 1/4 cup of batter for each.

Cook them for a minute or two until the bottoms are nicely browned. Carefully flip each one over and cook the other sides until they are done; another minute or two. *These pancakes aren't quite as sturdy as those made with a lot of flour.

Continue until all of the batter is used up. Keep the finished pancakes warm.

To serve:
Top the pancakes with the strawberries and a dollop of whipped cream, if using.

Lemon Love Notes

(about 16 squares)

I haven't been cooking much this week. My 16 year old refrigerator died and the new one I ordered won't arrive until next weekend. When I was younger, 30 year old refrigerators weren't so unusual. I remember living in more than one rental with an ancient refrigerator, one so old the walls in the tiny freezer would be coated in a good 3 to 5 inches of ice! I can't say I miss that, but I do wonder why appliances don't seem to last more than 10-15 years these days. I keep hearing it's because of the electronic components, but the only thing fancy about mine was its frost free feature; is this really enough to cut its lifespan in half?

Yesterday I brought home half a carton of eggs for breakfast. I had two left over and wasn't sure how long they would last on my kitchen counter. My mum once told me my grandmother used to keep her eggs at room temperature for weeks without any going bad. Again, what's changed?

I decided to use those last two eggs and my last stick of butter for these Lemon Love Notes. A friend reminded me of them recently. We sampled them years ago at a dinner party, and fortunately I remember the hostess telling me where to find the recipe for these divine treats. The lemony filling on top of the buttery shortbread make these a winner.

Adapted from, Homemade Cookies by the Food Editors of Farm Journal (1971).

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2/3 cup sugar (the original recipe calls for 1 cup sugar)
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest from one large lemon

Heat oven to 350°F.

Mix butter, 1 cup flour and confectioners' sugar. Press into an ungreased 8-inch square pan. Bake for *8 minutes or until golden. *Mine took about 15 minutes in a small convection oven. Remove from oven and place pan on rack. Leave the oven on.

Whisk together sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, baking powder, eggs and lemon juice. When the sugar has dissolved, stir in the lemon zest. Pour evenly over baked, cooled mixture in pan. Bake for another **25 minutes. (Top puffs up in baking, but falls in cooling.) **Mine were ready after about 15 minutes, but I poured the filling over a very warm crust.

Cool in pan on rack and cut into small squares or rectangles. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, if desired.