The Smiling Onion

Vegetarian and Gluten-free Cooking

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Oatmeal with Frothed Milk, Jaggery, Raisins, and Hazelnuts

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I tend to be very opinionated about things most people consider inconsequential. Oatmeal is one of them. After many disillusioning attempts at following package directions and different recipes from the internet, I finally realized I like to make my oatmeal with WAY more water than is usually called for. I also like to put the oats and water in at the same time for a creamier texture, and they must soak for a bit before the flame is turned on. Finally, I don’t really enjoy oatmeal when it’s piping hot. The texture and flavor are so much more satisfying when it’s served warm.

Since discovering my surprisingly strong oatmeal preferences a few years ago, I’ve developed my own oatmeal making method, and haven’t looked back. I’ll also share it with anyone who will listen, because…you know…passion about inconsequential matters is hard to shake! Recently, however, I discovered something new: the wonders of adding frothed milk to oatmeal. This happened because of something else I’m overly passionate about, of course: the proper ratio of frothed milk to espresso. While I enjoy a cappuccino now and again, I can’t stand it when too much milk waters down the boldness of the coffee. One day, I accidentally frothed more than I needed, and not wanting it to go to waste, I decided to pour it into my oatmeal. The results were quite incredible.

It sounds simple, but the interplay of textures – the creaminess of the oatmeal and the fluffiness of the milk – took my oatmeal to a whole new level. The addition of frothed milk may even turn some oatmeal agnostics into oatmeal believers. The stickiness that some find off-putting is mellowed by the frothy texture and it also serves to make your bowl of oatmeal much more visually appealing! My favorite way to enjoy it is with a sprinkle of jaggery – an unrefined sugar common in Indian cuisines that has incredible molasses-y notes – a few raisins and maybe some toasted hazelnuts for good measure. What a breakfast!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cake for Rosh Hashanah

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After a week of weather in the 90s, temperatures have suddenly plummeted, especially in Massachusetts. We’ve been plunged into autumn, just in time for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Incredibly, even though it falls so early this year, we’ll still be able to do our Rosh Hashanah tradition – apple picking! Though it felt like summer just three days ago or so, orchards have apples and it’s not too hot to pick ’em!

Lower temperatures also make baking start to sound appealing again. It’s traditional to eat sweet things on Rosh Hashanah, for a sweet new year, a sentiment that fuels the infamous apples and honey tradition. In years past, I’ve played with the apples and honey riff in my baking, but this year, I thought it might be nice to post something with chocolate. Because, as my dad reminded me recently, chocolate is appropriate for everything.

Granted, the cake itself actually does not contain any chocolate at all – it’s made of ground hazelnuts, brewed coffee, lots of butter, and sour cream. And it’s delicious. But the chocolate ganache that covers it is such an integral part of this cake that this is very much a chocolate hazelnut cake. I hope you enjoy it, and here’s to a sweet new year!

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Vegan Salty Oat Cookies

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If you’ve been following my blog for a while, there’s a chance that the title of this post sounds familiar to you. I do, in fact, already have a salty oat cookie recipe – created way back in May of last year – that has since become a staple of mine. It’s so quick and easy to whip up a batch, and said batch is so satisfying to munch on, that I find myself making these sweet and salty confections to bring to all manner of occasions, from game nights to family events. But it’s always been my intention to eventually post a vegan version, since I had a hunch these could taste just as good without the butter and egg. And in fact, I’ve known that hunch to be correct ever since November, when I buckled down and perfected these vegan salty oat cookies as part of our Thanksgiving menu. So it’s high time to share the love!

The secret to veganizing the recipe? Freshly ground chia seed (pre-ground didn’t gel as well and yielded crumbly cookies while flax meal made them take on a too-healthy taste that wasn’t cookie appropriate), coconut oil, and toasted hazelnuts. Other than those minor changes, this recipe is pretty similar to the original. Every time I make either version, I’m convinced I like it better than the other, so I really can’t say for sure which one I prefer. But toasted hazelnuts do have a special place in my heart – and tummy – and definitely lend these cookies a buttery quality that makes it very hard to tell that they are, in fact, vegan.

So if you’re looking for a scrumptious, coffeeshop-like cookie that’s both vegan and gluten-free, look no further! (Especially if you are also a fan of oats, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.)

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Cruncher-Nutty Chanukah Cookies

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Happy Chanukah, everyone! By now, I hope you are all up to your ears in latkes, dreidel, and menorahs – if you celebrate the holiday, of course. I actually haven’t had any latkes yet, which is probably a Chanukah record, but that will change this weekend. (Can’t wait!) If you, however, are like me on past years — feeling compelled to make latkes on that fourth Chanukah dinner engagement but already well past sick of them — may I suggest my carrot-ginger latkes with green-apple sour cream to spice things up a bit? You won’t be disappointed!

But, in the words of Woody Guthrie, that’s not what I came to tell you about. I came to talk about these cookies! I’m calling them “cruncher-nutty” because they are delightfully crunchy (sometimes hard to find in a gluten-free cookie) and also pleasantly nutty and buttery (though there is no butter in this recipe). They are Chanukah cookies for four reasons:

*They are made with oil – potentially an 8-day supply of it (Jk). Side note: This has the added benefit of making them dairy-free! 

*They are made with Macadamia nuts, which are etymologically related to the Maccabees (Jk). Side note: This has the added benefit of making them quite delicious!  

*You can use a cookie cutter to cut them into many Chanukah-related shapes – driedels, menorahs, etc. Side note: This has the added benefit of making them fun to prepare!

*They are also yummy spread with jam, a la sufganiyot, or – especially if you make circle cookies – as cookie sandwiches with jam in the middle. Side note: This has the added benefit of, well, JAM! 

So…ready to make some cruncher-nutty Chanukah cookies? Let’s do it!

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Spring Carrot “Pasta” with Herbs and Hazelnuts

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Oh Spring Carrot “Pasta” with Herbs and Hazelnuts, how do I love thee. Let me count the ways:

  1. You’re ready in minutes and completely grain-free; all that beta carotene really balances my Qi.
  2. You’re beautiful and bright, with a pleasant little bite
  3. You’re elegant and delicate, mounded high on a plate; you’d cost $19 in a restaurant, but to make you’re less than $8.

Okay…Elizabeth Barrett Browning is probably turning over in her grave right now. That’s got to be some of the worst meter ever put to page! Thankfully, it doesn’t come close to describing all the merits of this recipe, which – in sharp contrast to my poetry – is actually really good. (Not that you probably trust my judgment right now…) But seriously, this is one of those shockingly simple recipes that tastes and looks far more complex than it really is. There is some (dare I say poetic?) quality that makes this entirely vegan pasta dish taste like it has oodles of butter in it – a richness, a depth, that will keep you twirling those pretty orange ribbons around your fork bite after bite. Spoiler alert: it’s definitely the hazelnuts.

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Sorghum & Kale Salad with Balsamic-Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

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Have you heard of sorghum? It’s a wonderful gluten-free grain that is similar to farro or wheat berries when cooked whole. If you haven’t seen sorghum in berry form, you might be more familiar with sorghum flour – which has a mild, nutty flavor that is wonderful in gluten-free baked goods or pancakes – or with sorghum syrup, which is made from the stalks of the sorghum plant and is a common alternative sweetener.

But sorghum berries are definitely worth knowing about! They are probably one of the heartiest gluten-free grains you can find – robust and nutty, with a lovely round shape and a satisfying chewiness that pairs exceptionally well with bold dressings like the balsamic-blue cheese vinaigrette in this recipe.

In fact, their bite and robustness make sorghum berries absolutely fantastic in salads of all kinds! But especially in this one, which screams October with every mouthful. Bite into this salad and you’ve got a perfect medley of autumn flavors and textures: the heartiness of the sorghum and kale punctuated by crunchy, juicy apples; the sharp saltiness of the shaved pecorino romano; and the honey hazelnuts from last week’s Apple-Ricotta Tart. (They were so good I couldn’t resist making some more!) And finally, this salad wouldn’t be the same without the punchy blue-balsamic vinaigrette mentioned earlier –  with its base of grainy old-fashioned mustard and tangy blue cheese.

Best of all, this salad is hearty enough that you can easily store it dressed in the fridge and take it with you to work, etc. You’ll have a wonderful, healthy, delicious, and seasonal lunch – and you won’t have to stand in a long line and drop what may seem like an unreasonable amount of money to get it!

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Apple-Ricotta Tart with Pumpkin Seed Crust

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Tuesdays must be lucky because I have an incredible Fall dessert to share with you today. Imagine a light and creamy maple-ricotta mousse tucked inside a rich, buttery grain-free shortbread crust. Can you taste it? Okay. Now add some fresh apple slices and a couple honey hazelnuts to the mix. All good? Great. So just focus on the crust for a second – can you taste the freshly ground pumpkin seeds in there? They’ll be the rich, nutty savory hint that pops through. Now don’t forget to let that note intermingle with the fresh, brightness of the apple slices and the creamy ricotta mousse…

Having trouble holding all those flavors together in your mind? No worries. Let me take you through how to make this beauty so you can taste it for real. But first, a quick note about what inspired this dessert: Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

For me, Rosh Hashanah signals the beginning of Fall, the beginning of apple season, the beginning of the long, bountiful “time-to-eat-all-the-time-especially-sweets” season that continues with Thanksgiving and doesn’t end until after Valentine’s Day. I’ll be going home to Massachusetts soon for my family’s annual Rosh Hashanah walk on the Mount Holyoke Range and apple picking in Ashfield. We’ll each take some time to think about the year that’s passed and the one to come, and then we’ll have a delicious meal and dip apples in honey to symbolize our hope that it’s a sweet one.

Hence this apple tart. It screams Fall – apples, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts – short of sprinkling on some colorful leaves, I’m not sure how it could honor the season more. And of course, the Rosh Hashanah elements of apples and honey are represented. But what’s more, while there’s an elegance about it, there is also a homey, comforting quality that seemed appropriate for the holiday.

After all, what do most of us want when entering a new year? Sure, there are always things to change: new beginnings remind us to be creative, daring, unafraid to take risks. That’s your pumpkin seed crust right there. But there is also something to be said for holding on to some familiarity –– to comfort, to home. We tend to feel better about starting anew when we have some sense of security and grounding: for this, Fall, baking, and apple slices seemed like a good place to start.

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5-Minute, 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Gelato (Vegan, No Sugar)

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Summer is coming! It is, it is, it is! I know that some of us eat ice-cream year-round, but for those of you who don’t (who are you??), I think I can say with certainty that it’s time to get started again, rain or no rain. If we act like summer is here, it will come. Okay?? And…according to the always-reliable weather forecast, it is going to be in the 70s and 80s all next week. So let’s celebrate with some 5-minute homemade gelato!

This gelato is seriously delicious. It contains no dairy, no eggs, and no sugar. The secret? Frozen bananas and a Vitamix! Yes, you can be skeptical…but I urge you to try this before passing judgment. It really does taste like gelato and…IMO…banana is not the central flavor. I mean, it’s there – don’t get me wrong – but you don’t have to be a banana lover to like this; you just can’t be a banana hater. (Actually, I gave some of this gelato to my mother and asked her to guess the base, and she didn’t even realize there was banana in it!)

Okay, so let’s get to the five ingredients: we need two ripe bananas which have been frozen solid (to the point where you can’t cut into them to peel them unless you let them sit out for a few minutes), hazelnut oil, coconut cream (which you can buy or obtain by just scooping the cream from a can of refrigerated full-fat coconut milk), a pinch of cinnamon, and mesquite powder. Oh – a pinch of sea salt is also nice, but I’m not counting that in the “5-ingredients” because c’mon, it’s salt!

Have you heard of mesquite powder? It’s a superfood made from the seeds of the mesquite plant, which grows in desert areas, and has been used by indigenous people in Mexico and the Southwest for a long, long time. It has a sweet, caramel-like flavor, a bunch of awesome vitamins (calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc…), and some protein to boot! It’s wonderful in smoothies, hot drinks, baked goods, raw cookies…and this gelato, of course. In short, I highly encourage you to get some and try it out!

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