pickled carrots

 I took the recipe from pickled carrots from here (adding bay leaf) and here but I think I should be able to figure it out in the future without dirtying every bowl and pan in my house.  I cleared my garden beds to move them to the backyard - they were always just intended to be temporary (I reused old fence boards with planter blocks) and they look awful in the front yard.  Now that my driveway is finally fixed I can fix the landscaping in the area so to the back these go, where I don't care if they look bad because they produce nourishment.  If I can get them set up next weekend in backyard I'll plant anther run of beets, daikon, and carrots, but mostly I'm getting these deeper beds prepped for sweet potatoes. Anyway, I had about 4# of carrots so I made a batch of pickled carrots with about 2.75# (the amounts worked out well - I did three pint jars and two random small pickle jars) and the rest of the carrots (and daikon) will go into sauerkraut I'll make next weekend with cabbage from the garden.

Ingredients

    ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
    2 cups white wine vinegar
    2 cups water
    2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
    2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano (or dried oregano)
    ½ teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed
    1 small red onion, peeled and cut into ⅛-inch slices
    2 to 4 jalapeño chiles, quartered (seeded for less heat)
    2¾ pounds carrots, peeled and cut on a bias ½ inch thick
    8 garlic cloves, peeled

    bay leaf (1 per jar)
    4 small dried red chiles (optional)

Directions

   Sterilize jars. In a large, deep pot, add 4 pint jars and their lids. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Use tongs to remove the pint jars and lids from the hot water. Turn the jars upside down onto a kitchen towel to drain.

   Toast cumin seeds.  In a small skillet set over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds and toast, stirring often, until the seeds are golden and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool.

 Make liquid. To a medium saucepan, add the vinegar, water, 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the salt, the oregano and crushed peppercorns and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the onion and jalapeños and turn off the heat. - NOTE: since I water bath these and it was kind of a mess and difficult to distribute the spices, next time I'll just add oregano and peppercorns to the jars directly.

 Cook carrots. Bring a large saucepan of water and the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the carrots and simmer until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the carrots in a colander and immediately transfer them to the saucepan with the vinegar and onions. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then turn off the heat.
 

Jar it up. Divide the toasted cumin seeds, bay leaves, garlic cloves, and red chiles (if using) among the 4 jars. Using a slotted spoon, divide the carrots and onions among the jars. Top with the hot vinegar, leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Fasten the tops onto the jars and refrigerate for up to 1 month. 

 Water bath carrots. For longer storage, hot-water-process the pickles: Transfer the jars back to a pot of water, making sure the lids are tightly secured and that the jars are covered by at least a few inches of water, and boil for 10 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the jars to a kitchen-towel-lined surface and cool completely at room temperature. Store in a cool, dry, dark space.

healthy banana muffins

 This recipe for healthy banana muffins taken from here.  They hit the spot, though I wish I'd used all whole wheat flour (or maybe some buckwheat) instead of the half-half with white flour (since I didn't have white whole wheat).  Or added oat bran or something like that - I just wanted a little grittier texture, I guess.  I also liked that this was a straightforward one-bowl recipe, not requiring a lot of fuss or cleanup, and while I don't usually have three overripe bananas on hand, I do always have the other things.  I am looking forward to my banana plant producing and having heaps of very local bananas to use up.

 Update 11/24 - these turned out well!

Ingredients  

• 3 large overripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup yogurt
  
• 2 tablespoons oil/melted butter
  
• 1/2 cup date paste
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup pecans toasted at 350 for about 5 minutes, then chopped
  

Instructions 

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Prepare12-cup muffin tin.  Lightly toast pecans.  
  Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl until mostly smooth. Whisk in the egg, and then the yogurt and oil. Whisk in the date paste and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the top, and then stir until combined. Gently stir in the flour until barely combined (it will be thick and that's ok), and then fold in the nuts.

 Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup nearly to the top. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the muffins spring back lightly when touched in the center.

***

Edits for time #2 included below

Ingredients  

• 3 large overripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (I strained some old, runny yogurt through a coffee filter) - did about 1/2 cup of regular yogurt
  
• 2 tablespoons canola oil or melted/cooled coconut oil (butter would be fine)
  
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup - eliminated
  
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (I did half-half white-wheat flour and ... next time all wheat) - did 1/2 cup buckwheat flour; rest whole wheat
  
• 1 cup walnut halves (toasted and coarsely chopped) - (I used raw pecans and next time better toasted for sure)

Instructions 

Place rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper or foil liners, or lightly grease with nonstick spray. (I used parchment liners for the first time and wow was that great.  They always seemed an unnecessary indulgence but I got some on cheap sale and I always want to use those now.)  Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl until mostly smooth. Whisk in the egg, and then the yogurt and oil. Whisk in the brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, and cinnamon over the top, and then stir until combined. Gently stir in the flour until barely combined, and then fold in the walnuts.

 Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup nearly to the top. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the muffins spring back lightly when touched in the center.

 

 

pasta e ceci

 Just made this soup (Italian chickpea and pasta stew) and it was outstanding.  

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 packed cup canned whole tomatoes, drained (diced tomatoes, not drained)
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed (i canned them myself without salt so not rinsed)
• 1 cup ditalini (little elbow macaroni was fine)
• 4 cups roughly chopped escarole, Tuscan kale or radicchio (I used Tuscan kale and added it earlier)
• Grated pecorino, for serving  

 

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and red-pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and the chickpeas, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or spatula and smashing about 1/2 cup of the beans.
3. Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high.  (If using kale, add now and let it cook a little) Add the pasta and simmer, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. The water will mostly be absorbed by the pasta, but if you prefer it brothier, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup water and simmer until warmed through, 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add the escarole and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil