Random food I loved but never managed to blog about

I'm going to start with a gargantuan salad, because I just had it yesterday, and haven't yet forgotten anything about it. It was as big as it looks. We had gone out to lunch with a bunch of vegan friends, and I wasn't feeling very hungry, so I ordered a salad. We were lunching at Next Level Burger, a very casual,  all-vegan, organic burger joint inside of Whole Foods. I guess I thought since the emphasis was on burgers, the salad wouldn't be a BIG deal. I must not have been paying attention. I ate about 1/4 of it, and we had most of the rest with dinner. I also ordered a delicious child-size vanilla shake. Everyone in our group  seemed pleased with their burger choices, and I have to give a special shout-out to the wonderful, very knowledgeable, staff. As for gluten-free choices, in case you were wondering, almost everything on the menu is gluten-free and you can request a gluten free bun. Plenty of choices for everyone. Even the shakes can be made with either soy or coconut soft serve.



Here is a nacho bowl with homemade cheese sauce. Sometimes I'm just too lazy to look up a recipe (like, for cheese sauce) so I just throw things into the blender that I think will taste good, and it usually works. It worked this time, topped with green onions, and served over kidney beans, tomatoes and chips.



I love tahini sauce — I've been making versions of tahini sauce for more than 30 years. Sometimes I add lemon juice, sometimes miso, sometimes umeboshi paste, etc. Lately my husband has started making it — a lot. Here's a plate of noodles with air-fried tofu, roasted cauliflower, red peppers and tahini sauce. Tahini sauce. Did I mention the tahini sauce? Just kidding, Ken. You are getting seriously good at making tahini sauce.



We do love our noodle bowls around here, and I have to say having the air fryer has upped the stakes on the deliciousness of the tofu. It looks like the bowl contains tofu, shiitake mushrooms, cucumbers, scallions, carrots, peanuts and romaine — a Vietnamese bun salad — probably a version of this one.



The last one is a puzzle. It's a scallion pancake, obviously, and I vaguely remember trying to make a gluten-free version of this beloved favorite. I learned to make scallion pancakes long ago in a cooking class taught by a Chinese chef, and the pancakes were perfection. I sort of remember craving scallion pancakes, and trying to recreate them with gluten-free flour. I looked through the note pad where I scribble my recipe experiments, and I found one for scallion pancakes but there's no mention of whether it worked or not. Was it gummy? floury? weird? I don't remember. It looks good, though, doesn't it? If you feel like making traditional scallion pancakes, you can find the recipe here.

Pay it forward giveaway | Nori roll-ups | Scallion flatbread | Cappuccino muffins

I recently flirted with the random fairy, and my wish to achieve random selection was happily fulfilled. I won the pay it forward drawing hosted by Mary on her blog, Mitten Machen. This means I received a lovely box of Maine products from Mary, and the obligation to send a box of Washington state goodies to a randomly selected reader of this blog. From my perspective this was a double treat; I received a gift, and now I get to seek out and choose special, locally made items to share with one of you. I've already got a few things picked out, and I'm learning about other local products that would be fun to receive. If you would like to take part in this pay it forward giveaway, mention your intention in a comment on this post. I'll randomly select a winner on May 11 and announce it in a post. (Remember, by entering this contest you're agreeing to hold a giveaway of your own, and award a box of local treats to someone else.)

My box contained a beautiful card with a Maine photo, A soy candle with the scent of the Maine woods, a leaf made of solid maple sugar, a handmade wooden bookmark, and a refrigerator magnet based on a painting by a Maine artist. Thank you so much, Mary!

----------------------------------------------------------

Bits and crumbs

I've mentioned many times on this blog that I prefer simple foods. The stuff I often eat doesn't really warrant a blog post, and here is proof of that. I'd been munching practically all day, and wanted a light supper. Above you see wok-grilled local asparagus and canned chickpeas, topped with roasted red pepper spread, and served with a green salad. See what I mean?

Nori makes a convenient and tasty wrap for more than just rice. One of my favorite fast snacks is to cut two thin slices of cold, baked tofu into narrow strips, and lay them along one end of a toasted nori sheet, generously pile baby salad mix on top, and roll up. You can't cut this into pieces — you have to hold it and munch. It tastes so great I usually have to make a second one as soon as I've finished the first.

I saw a post by Zoa on The Airy Way about the scallion pancakes she made with a yeasted dough. It reminded me of the more traditional version of scallion pancakes we learned to make in a Chinese cooking class. Zoa made hers with dough she had stored in her refrigerator, and when I saw her pancake I was immediately attacked by a powerful craving. I've been using my stored bread dough (based on Healthy Bread in Five minutes a Day) to make English muffins and assorted flatbreads, why not scallion pancakes? I flattened a piece of dough, coated it with toasted sesame oil and chopped scallions, and rolled the pancake in the traditional way. I baked it in my wok and enjoyed it with supper. Great idea, Zoa!

----------------------------------------------------------

More recipe testing

These are cappuccino muffins from Celene Steen and Joni Marie Newman. What more can I say?

----------------------------------------------------------

GiveawayHey. Don't leave without entering the pay it forward giveaway! I'm serious. I've got some fun and tasty items planned for my pay it forward box, and you don't want to be left out. Just mention in your comment that you'd like to be included. (There are some GF products in the box so don't be afraid to enter if you need a GF assortment. You can always share anything that might not be OK.)

Scallion pancakes

When I write posts for this blog I usually try to stick to my theme of "easy" to prepare foods that can be created in a relatively short time. Sometimes I include something that is easy to make but might require a bit more time. That may be the case for today's offering. It wasn't really very hard to do, but it wasn't quick, and it wasn't something I'd whip up after a hard day of work. Maybe I'd do it on a leisurely weekend when I had some time to play with my food.

The recipe comes from a Chinese cooking class that my husband and I recently attended. The version I offer here uses half whole grain flour instead of the all-purpose flour used in class, and in my version, the nutty-wheaty taste and texture of the flour has a presence that was missing in the class version. If you prefer a lighter, more authentic taste, I suggest you substitute 2-1/8 cups unbleached white or all purpose flour for the flour mix I list. The pancakes tasted great, so if you're used to whole grains, go with this version.

The scallion pancakes the teacher demonstrated were really delicious, and though a bit oily, they were much less greasy than the ones we had at a Chinese restaurant in Seattle, which were probably deep fried. But, I think the pancakes are meant to be a little oily. My first attempt was so oil-phobic that they lost some of their essential character. The amount of oil is so small, I think it would be better to just use the oil and enjoy the taste.

Scallion pancakes

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (stir before measuring) (see above story)
• 1 cup unbleached white flour (stir before measuring)
• 4 ounces boiling water
• about 2 ounces cold water
• 4–6 scallions, white and green parts—slice each scallion lengthwise, then mince finely
• toasted sesame oil
• salt to taste
• oil for the pan (peanut is traditional) and oil to brush or spray directly onto the pancakes

1. Mix the two flours together on a board.

2. Make a well in the center and add the boiling water. Flip and scrape the flour around with a dough scraper or spatula to incorporate the flour and water. (Be very careful about not using your hands here, as the water and forming dough will be burning hot. It will quickly become cool enough to handle and you can start using your hands at that point.)

3. When all the water is incorporated, gradually add the cold water until you have a flexible, kneadable dough. Don't make the dough too stiff. Knead the dough until, as our teacher says, you have the three shinings. (1) Your hands are clean of sticking dough, (2) the board is clean and (3) the dough is shiny. (I'd say, "more or less" shiny.) Step 3 takes about 5 minutes.

4. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest 20 minutes. Or more. After its rest, cut the dough into 2 sections and wrap 1 of them in the damp towel. Roll the other into a rectangle that is about 1/8" – 3/16" thick, and about 6" x 9". Brush toasted sesame oil (or spread with your fingers) all over the dough. Use 1 teaspoon. Cover with minced scallions and sprinkle with salt (1/4 teaspoon).

5. Roll into a log shape starting with the long end. Then coil the log into a spiral, tucking the last end underneath.

6. Pat the coil into a flattened round, and then roll into a round pancake about 1/8" thick, with your rolling pin. Be gentle, as the dough may have a tendency to rip around the scallions and oil. Try to roll to the edge rather than over it, as much as you can. If you roll over the edge, the pancake may break and some of the oil will ooze out. This is probably unavoidable to some extent, and is OK.

7. Heat the pan and coat lightly with oil. Spray the pancake with oil. Use a wide spatula to ease the pancake up and into the pan, sprayed side down, then spray the top side of the pancake.

8. Fry over low heat, flipping a couple of times, until both sides turn golden with patches of deep color. Cook the pancake slowly, over low heat so it doesn't burn before the inside cooks. (about 10 minutes) If you prefer, you can use a non-stick pan and cook the pancake in a light coating of oil. Peanut oil is traditional, but I used canola to spray the pan and the pancake. I tried both types of pans and thought the pancake came out better in the cast iron.

9. Drain on a paper towel if desired. Cut into 8 or 12 triangles (like pizza) and eat immediately. Repeat with the other dough section.

Note: I made these pancakes so many times to get the recipe right, that just the thought of eating anymore is making me weak. I learned a few things, though. The first dough I made (not included here) was a little tough. It was a larger recipe and more than we could handle in one day, so I stored the leftover dough in the refrigerator overnight. When I made a pancake the next day, it was much lighter and more tender. Really good, actually. So, you could probably make the dough a day ahead and roll and fry them when needed. I used a mix of white whole wheat and unbleached flour but decided to switch to whole wheat pastry flour for the second batch. I think I made the first batch too stiff, so I added a little more water to the second batch, and it worked much better; not enough to require adding flour for kneading, but enough to produce a softer dough.

Update: I would try making these with white whole wheat flour, which produces baked goods very much like those made with unbleached white flour.