Consuming Consciousness

I’ve tried just about all the chocolate cheesecake recipes out there, and I was never very impressed. Chocolate is fabulous with cheesecake, but it doesn’t taste nearly as good when it’s actually beaten into the cheese. And I’ve been disappointed in all the cream cheese brownie recipes I’ve tasted, because I never felt like the cheesecake swirl or layer was as good as I know a cheesecake can be. After some experimentation, I’ve come up with something I like a lot better — a dessert that matches a fudge brownie top layer with the creaminess of a fine cheesecake. Unlike other layered cheesecake-brownie recipes out there, I’ve put the cream cheese layer on the bottom, where it belongs, and I bake it for longer than the brownie layer. The result — a perfect cheesecake on the bottom, and perfect fudge brownies on the top. The only challenge is in letting it cool long enough for it to set up perfectly — it smells so good you’ll want to dig in while it’s still warm.

There are dozens of great recipes for carrot cakes and breads, and they all have their fans. The one I choose usually depends on my mood at the moment. This cake was invented at a point when I was craving a rich and nutty, tender, glazed, citrus-flavored cake, suitable for either dessert or for munching with a cup of tea/coffee.

Check out the recipe!

It’s very quick to make if you have a food processor and a blender, which adds to its charm. If you have only a blender, you’ll have to grate the carrots by hand. Cut the recipe in half if you only want to make one loaf instead of two. Between the oil and the sunflower seeds, this is a full-fat, mega-calorie cake. My very lean partner, who needs to consume about 3000 calories a day just to maintain his weight, can eat it by the plateful. I stay on a restricted calorie diet, and so I confine myself to thin slices, parceled out carefully and enjoyed fully with a big cup of hot tea.

It’s snowing like mad outside, and I felt like baking something savory and aromatic. A quick look in the refrigerator revealed a chunk of cold Camembert that wouldn’t warm up and ripen any time soon, and I was captured by the thought of the flavor of Camembert in a corn muffin. Onions deepened the flavor, and the apples were a last minute inspiration. As muffins go, they’re a miniature cheese and fruit-plate feast.

I’ve also installed a new recipe plugin, which will hopefully make keeping track of my recipes easier. Eventually I’ll transfer all the old ones to the new format, but in the meantime check out the Camembert, Apple & Corn Muffin Recipe!

A heady mixture of tastes and spices, this rich cake and its creamy frosting scream luxury. The cardamom flavor is distinct but not overpowering, and it’s perfectly complemented by the cashews. The cake itself is soft and moist, chock full of carrots and chopped nuts. For the frosting, you make your own cashew buttercream mixture. Though I’ve used only cardamom and cinnamon as spices, you can easily experiment by adding clove, ground coriander, or nutmeg either to the frosting or the cake batter. The cake would also work as well with peanuts as with cashews.

This recipe was inspired by chokylit’s cupcakes, which are lovely but deadly little calorie and fat bombs. I replaced as many of the ingredients as possible with lower-fat and healthier alternatives, including swapping out butter for coconut oil and white flour for spelt flour. It’s by no means a low-calorie dessert, but at 335 calories per rich, filling slice, I think it’s now in the realm of possibility for folks looking to control their intake. (more…)

This is the fastest and tastiest collards recipe ever. I love the slow-cook southern-style collards, but this version, sauted in less than a minute in a hot wok, is unbeatable for flavor and texture. (more…)

“Garam Masala” is like “Chili Powder” or “Curry Powder.” They’re all names for spice combinations that one is often called to used in recipes, but they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so you never quite know what you’re getting. I’m pretty picky about my spices, so I grind my mixtures myself. It’s not very time consuming, and in a sealed container they can keep for six months at room temperature — longer if you store them in the refrigerator or freezer.

The recipe is best if you use whole spices and grind them yourself from seed. I use a coffee grinder, but a mortar and pestle works just as well. Spices are unbelievably expensive if you buy them in small quantities in the supermarket, but if you have access to a health food store you can often buy them surprisingly cheaply, especially if you measure them out yourself from bulk dispensers. Another very cheap place to get these spices is at neighborhood Mexican or Asian markets, where they’re sold inexpensively in cellophane or plastic bags.
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Since childhood I’ve had an inexplicable emotional attachment to grape soda. Unfortunately, like other sodas, the commercial brands are unbelievably high in sugar, as well as low on natural grape juice. Some studies came out in the last couple of years, though, suggesting drinking grape juice lowers your risk of heart disease. Apparently, it works just like red wine, helping you avoid blood clots, reduce bad cholesterol, preventing damage to blood vessels in your heart, and helping maintain healthy blood pressure.

Naturally this inspired me to rethink the grape soda issue, and I’ve come up with an alternative. It’s so simple it doesn’t require a formal recipe. Just combine 1 cup grape juice with 4 cups of mineral water and the juice of one lemon, and you’ll have 2 servings of a refreshing, sparkling drink. Each serving has only 50 calories and gives you 78% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. The best juice for your heart is made from the dark purple Concord grapes.

[Note: For the carbohydrate counters among us, there are 13.0g total carbohydrates, 11.5g of which are sugar.]

Some recipes are so simple, and the results so unexpected that they’re a joy to make. This deep, rich, flavorful, spicy salsa needs 30 minutes of prep time (to soak the dried chiles) and about 5 minutes of blending. (more…)

Of all the recipes I’ve invented, this is the one that has gotten the most requests over the years. I have friends who are dejected if, when they come over for dinner, I haven’t made a dish featuring this green sauce rich in tomatillos, Hatch green chiles and garlic. It’s easy to assemble, and it freezes beautifully so I always make double or triple the amount I need. If you live in the Southwest, don’t miss the opportunity to make it during Hatch season — the fresh-roasted chiles available from roadside vendors or from supermarkets specializing in Mexican produce and ingredients.

I serve this sauce over grilled poultry, fish, tofu, or vegetables. It’s also an excellent base for a pork or goat stew: brown the meat, then add the green sauce and simmer until the meat is tender and begins to fall apart. The sauce is full of vitamins and minerals: one serving contains 127% of your daily iron requirement. (more…)

The reactions to cilantro are mixed: some people like it and some people hate it. Almost no one I’ve met stands in the middle. For the cilantro-lovers among you, here’s a fresh and flavorful garnish for Mexican or Southwestern-style meals. (more…)