Spinach and tempeh pie from Celine

Not exactly pie-shaped pie a la Mr. X (read on...)

I printed out Celine's recipe for spinach and tempeh pie because it looked so delicious, and imagine my surprise to pass by the kitchen to find "Mr. X" (identity protected due to content) preparing to make it for dinner. Seeing mutilated oranges on the counter top, I paused to observe. "Is orange zest the white stuff inside the skin?", he inquired. "No, it's the orange stuff on the outside — not the white stuff," I replied. I returned a short time later to observe Mr X trying to scrape off the zest with a pastry crimper. "Here, use this zester, it will be easier," I suggested, offering a quick zesting demo. Everything under control, I was off again, expecting to be called back for the crust-making. Mr. X had never made any sort of pie before. The next time I passed by the kitchen, Mr. X could be seen intently scraping dough out of the food processor with his fingers. "Be sure to use a light touch with the dough," I said. Mr. X is lacking the "light-touch" gene when it comes to baking. He's been known to produce cake with the texture of a yoga mat. But I went away, thinking it was probably too late anyway. And I'd had such high hopes for making this savory pie.



The next time I saw the pie was when it came out of the oven. Mr. X baked it on a piece of waxed paper instead of parchment paper, as called for in the recipe (which could account for the burning smell in the kitchen). He also shaped it kind of like a loaf of bread instead of a pie, but in spite of everything, IT WAS GOOD! And the crust, though perhaps a little harder than intended, was delicious in texture and taste. You should definitely go to this blog and get the recipe so you can make it, too. But don't use waxed paper!

p.s. The crust is made with spelt and tahini.

Be sure to visit Ricki's brand new blog location (Diet, Dessert and Dogs), and enter her contest to win a bottle of wonderful maple syrup! If you live in the Toronto area, you can also win a fabulous custom made chocolate layer cake. Click here.

Plum crisp, easy and delicious

I was trying to clear out the refrigerator and make room for a new fruit share box and I was staring at a bag of red plums at the point of use 'em or loose 'em. When we signed up for a bi-weekly fruit share from our CSA, we didn't realize what we were getting into. We already split a veggie share with friends and we each take a box on alternate weeks, so it seemed we'd be able to use up the fruit in two weeks. Not so. We eat a LOT of fruit but it's never enough. With the plums, I meant to make a batch of plum and apricot chutney, but just plum forgot all about it. (sorry) As I looked at the bag, all I could think of was apple crisp made with plums. I should have looked on the Web for ideas but that would have meant another trip upstairs, so I just went at it, hoping for the best. I did keep track of what I did—pretty basic but really delicious.

Plum crisp
12 ripe red plums, cut in half and stones removed
two tablespoons sucanot
two tablespoons spelt flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup sucanot (or other evaporated cane juice)
1/4 cup spelt flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
two (or three if you want it richer) tablespoons vegan margarine (Earth Balance)

Lay the plum halves cut side up in a large baking pan. Sprinkle with two tablespoons sugar, two tablespoons spelt flour and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the rolled oats, sucanot,spelt flour, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the margarine with a pastry blender (if you have such a thing) or two knives (or your clean fingers) until it looks like bread crumbs.
Spread the topping evenly over the plums.
Bake in a preheated 375˚ oven for about 40 minutes or until the plums are soft. If the topping starts to get too brown, cover with a sheet of foil.