Ellie Krieger’s Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries

Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries

pumpkin bread with cranberries
Ellie Krieger’s Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries (Photo by Quentin Bacon)

(Makes 8 servings)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, honey, oil, eggs, and egg white until well combined. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just enough to combine evenly. Gently stir in the cranberries.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is browned and a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1-inch thick slice)


Copyright 2011 Ellie Krieger. All rights reserved

Gingersnap Cookies with Lemon Icing

Shortening is the ultimate determining factor in gingersnap texture. A stick of nondairy shortening gives them serious snap. The one I use contains no trans-fats or additives; it is a blend of oils. For me, a cookie’s crunch matters as much as its flavor. But if chewy cookies are your thing, read on.

Use a nondairy soft spread for a softer result. Cookies come out of the oven crispish, but turn chewy after they sit overnight. If you want softer snaps, know that the batter will be too soft to shape into balls. It needs to be dropped from a spoon onto your baking sheet.

Both shortenings make cookies with the same warm, zingy flavor, so bake them to please your preference. And either way, the cookies keep for a week and are great for sharing at holiday cookie swaps. (To make them look especially festive, sprinkle a pinch of red, green, or multicolor sugar onto the wet frosting.)

Gingersnap with Lemon Icing

(Makes 24 cookies)

Gingersnaps with Lemon Icing

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. In mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, and salt.
  3. In another bowl, use electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat shortening sticks with ½ cup sugar for 2 minutes. Add molasses and egg white and beat for 3 minutes. Set mixer on low speed and mix in dry ingredients just to combine–leaving white streaks is better than overmixing. Batter will form soft ball.
  4. Place remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in wide, shallow bowl. Pinch off about 1 tablespoon batter and roll it between your palms, forming 1″ ball. Place ball in bowl with sugar and roll to coat it, and then place on light-colored, ungreased baking sheet. Discard leftover sugar. Repeat, spacing balls 2″ apart. Using back of glass, press to flatten each ball into 1 ⅓” disk.
  5. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. For glaze: In small bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar with lemon juice, mixing until sugar is completely dissolved.
  6. When cookies are done, immediately transfer with spatula to wire cooling racks. Using tip of knife, spread ¼ teaspoon glaze on top of each warm cookie. Cool completely. Store in cookie tin for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving (1 cookie)

Calories: 75
Total fat: 3 g
Saturated fat: 1 g
Carbohydrate: 12 g
Fiber: <1 g
Protein: 1 g
Sodium: 80 mg


Peach Johnnycake

farmers-market-coalition-logo-1

My great grandma lived in an old farmhouse on hundreds of acres of land with some horses and a fresh water springhouse. She had loads of peach trees on her property, and if we went out there and picked ’em, she’d make her Peach Johnnycake.

This recipe features corn flour from Wild Hive Farm and celebrates the revival of growing and milling grain in the Hudson River Valley region. It’s also adaptable to whatever fruit you find at your local farmers market.


Peach Johnnycake
(Serves 8)

Peach Johhnycake with Wild Hive Farm corn flour and Hudson Valley fresh sour cream Photo by Cheryl Paff
Peach Johhnycake with Wild Hive Farm corn flour and Hudson Valley Fresh sour cream.
Photo by Cheryl Paff.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch cake pan or springform pan.
  2. Gently toss peaches with 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together corn flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In separate bowl, beat ½ cup sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
  5. Add corn flour mixture to butter mixture and stir just enough to combine. Pour batter into cake pan and spread in an even layer.
  6. Arrange peaches on top of batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Sprinkle a little sugar over cake and allow to cool on wire rack.
  8. Slice and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Microbrew-Braised Rutabagas

“Who knew? With a little experimentation, I discovered rutabagas and beer are made for each other. Add this side dish to a wintertime menu that features roast pork, grilled sausages, braised brisket, or even roast chicken. A porter-style beer works best, delivering a rich malt flavor without a bitter finish,” writes Diane Morgan author of Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes.


Microbrew-Braised Rutabagas
(Makes 6 servings as a side dish)

Rutabagas, photo by Antons Achilleos
Photograph by Antonis Achilleos. Excerpted from Roots by Diane Morgan.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. In Dutch oven or other heavy pot, melt butter with oil over medium-low heat until butter is foamy. Add onion and stir to coat evenly. Cover and cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onion is evenly golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
  2. Add brown sugar, salt, Aleppo pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon and stir constantly until brown sugar has melted and spices are aromatic, about 1 minute. Add rutabagas and stir to coat. Add beer and stock, pressing down on vegetables to submerge them. Liquid should just cover vegetables. If it doesn’t, add more stock or water as needed. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat until liquid is at a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in oregano and thyme, re-cover, and continue to cook until rutabagas are fork-tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer rutabagas and onions to serving bowl, cover, and keep warm.
  3. Increase heat to high and boil braising liquid, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to about ¼ cup and has thickened to syrup consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, return rutabagas and onion to pan, and toss to coat in sauce. Heat until vegetables are hot, and then taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.

Cover of the book Roots by Diane Morgan. Photographs by Antonis Achilleos.

Recipe excerpted from Roots by Diane Morgan. Photographs by Antonis Achilleos. (Chronicle; October 2012; $40.00/Hardcover: ISBN-13: 978-0811878371). Chroniclebooks.com.

Carrots Caribbean-Style

Why not give tonight’s dinner a Caribbean theme? Pair this sweet and simple side dish with Emeril’s Caribbean pork tenderloins, and enjoy our banana sunflower cookies for dessert!

julienne carrot strips in pan

Carrots Caribbean-Style

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients

Directions

In a medium saucepan combine carrots, pineapple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are just tender, about 15 minutes.

Baked Apple Night

Mark Twain once wrote, “I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot.”

So, too, will you enjoy the simple pleasure from this recipe, reprinted with permission of Taste of Home (tasteofhome.com).

Baked Apples on the Grill

(Makes 4 servings)

Place each apple on piece of heavy-duty foil (about 12-inch square). Combine remaining ingredients; spoon into centers of apples. Fold foil over apples and seal tightly.

Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until apples are tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

 

Pumpkin Muffins

Let your Halloween candy cravings RIP. A hot cup of chai tea paired with these tasty, fiber-packed muffins will put those temptations to rest. They’re so easy, it’s scary!

Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffins

(Makes 12 muffins)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. Measure cereal, milk raisins, pumpkin, and 1/2 cup sugar into large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Let stand about 2 minutes or until the cereal is soft. Add egg and butter. Beat well. Add dry ingredients and nuts, stirring only until combined. Portion the batter evenly into 12 greased or lined muffin-pan cups. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Bake about 30 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.

This recipe is from The Saturday Evening Post Fiber and Bran Better Health Cookbook by Cory SerVaas, M.D., Charlotte Turgeon, and Fred Birmingham. To order a copy of this cookbook, visit ShopThePost.com.

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