“For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake.” ~ Alfred Hitchcock, English film director, 1899-1980

When visiting southern California earlier this year, we visited a date farm with its oasis of beautiful, towering palm trees. It was a splendid place and we learned a great deal about dates. The take away for me was that dates contain a very large amount of natural sugar, but also calcium, dietary fiber, and some other vitamins and minerals.

The date’s natural sweetness, means we don’t have to add as much processed sugar to baked goods, and this Date Cake is no exception. Without eggs and butter, this one is significantly lighter than the cake we enjoyed at the date farm, but even tastier with the addition of the whole grain oatmeal and coconut used to enhance the moistness.

Date Cake

Serves 6-9
Time: 5 minutes prep, plus 1 hour up front and 40 minutes baking

8 ounce package chopped dates
¾ cup non-dairy milk (we used So Delicious Coconut Milk beverage)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup vegetable or canola oil
½ cup sugar
1 cup quick oats
¼ cup shredded coconut
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Dusting of confectioner’s sugar to garnish (optional)

Mix the chopped dates and milk in a medium bowl and allow to stand for 1 hour before proceeding. This will soften the dates.

Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking pan and preheat oven to 350° F.

Stir the vanilla, vegetable oil and sugar into the dates, then add the remaining ingredients and stir just until combined, about 30 strokes. Pour into the baking pan and level the top. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake will be a rich brown color.

Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan if you wish. Otherwise, cool completely in the pan before cutting. Dust individual pieces with confectioner’s sugar just before serving if desired.
Is Saturday night date night at your house? A little date cake along with a few screams to accompany an Alfred Hitchcock video can make for a fun in-house evening while the neighborhood devils are lurking outside your door. Is there one you haven’t seen yet?

“May you live a thousand years; and I, a thousand less one day that I might never know the world without you.” ~ Hungarian Proverb

The creamy white parsnip, a less colorful cousin of the carrot, is not as commonly promoted as it used to be and so not as often found on our tables. Indeed, on a recent trip to the produce department at my local grocery store, another shopper saw me picking out a package of parsnips and asked me what they were and how they were cooked. Her eyes lit up when I explained that they have a much sweeter flavor than carrots, but are treated in every way the same. They are an essential ingredient in Hungarian Goulash Soup.

The spice in Goulash Soup that compliments the parsnips so well is Hungarian paprika, a traditionally sweet, intensely flavorful dried capsicum (pepper). Some varieties, although less common, are quite hot, however, so be sure to read the whole label.

To assist you in selecting paprika at the grocery store, it might be helpful to know that Spanish paprika is less expensive and is generally what is found in jars simply labeled “Paprika” or “Smoked Paprika.” Spanish paprika is a little lighter in color and has a milder flavor than the Hungarian varieties. The flavor of the Spanish paprika can sometimes be lost in a dish with many flavors but is an appropriate choice for using as a garnish where a strong flavor is not wanted. The more boldly flavored Hungarian paprika is always marked “Hungarian.”

More important than where the paprika originates, however, is freshness. Do not buy a lot of paprika at once unless you plan on using it soon because it loses its flavor very quickly. You can verify freshness simply by smelling the ground pepper. If your container of paprika has no scent, it likely has very little flavor. Rather than discarding the paprika with diminished flavor, just limit its use to enhancing color, such as when sprinkled on top of baked pasta dishes.

Goulash soup is not as commonly prepared to be vegetarian as it is with beef, but the meatless version makes a delicious appetizer, lunch, or side dish rather than a heavy main course. If you have a mixed group of diners that include vegetarians and/or vegans as well as those who enjoy their meat, you can prepare this meatless recipe and simply garnish some with slivers of shredded roasted beef sprinkled across the top. Either way, it makes a richly flavored accompaniment to a hearty sandwich.

Did I mention that this version is much, much faster to prepare, has no cholesterol, and less fat than its meaty counterpart?

Vegetarian Goulash Soup

Makes 8 cups
Time: 40 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped parsnips
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds
2 tablespoons minced fresh Parsley or 2 teaspoons dried
2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
1 (15-ounce) can Diced Tomato
4 cups (1 quart box) vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, soften onion in the olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the potato, carrots, parsnips, bell pepper, garlic, caraway seeds, parsley, paprika, tomato, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. At this time, mix the cocoa powder with the water to make a smooth paste, then stir it into the soup.

Hungarian folk music is lively and uplifting. Borrow some from your library to play while you eat this soup, and you’re sure to want to get up and dance by the time you’re finished!

“Playwrights are like men who have been dining for a month in an Indian restaurant. After eating curry night after night, they deny the existence of asparagus.” ~ Peter Ustinov, English actor and writer (1921-2004)

The creamy curries of India are among our favorites. This silky, fragrant sauce is gentle on the spices, making it soothing to eat.

Typical vegetable korma uses onion, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, and peas, but there is no rule that says you can’t use your favorite – we tend to put in whatever odds and ends we want to use up. Add frozen vegetables, or mix frozen and fresh, if you wish.

The one border-line concession we make for this dish is to use full fat canned coconut milk (unsweetened). The fat from coconut cranks up the calories no matter which way you twist it, but at least these medium chain fatty acids are used more efficiently as energy rather than resting on the hips as animal fats do. If you are looking to reduce the calories, using the lite variety works fine, but the full fat gives it significantly more richness and the comfort food quality I am looking for from this dish.

We enjoy our Cashew Vegetable Korma served over brown basmati rice, in keeping with Indian tradition. Start cooking the rice first and both dishes should be completed at about the same time.

Cashew Vegetable Korma
Serves: 4
Time: 35 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chopped vegetables
1 medium potato, scrubbed and diced
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk
1 cup cashews (shelled)

Begin to soften the vegetables and potato in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the garam masala and the turmeric, then stir in the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Check to be sure the potatoes are tender; if not, continue cooking until they are done. When the potatoes are cooked to the desired consistency, stir in the coconut milk and continue cooking until hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the cashews. Serve hot over rice.

Typically, this dish would also be served with dal (cooked lentils), but we find the Cashew Vegetable Korma over rice to be quite satisfying on their own. If you want this to serve 6 instead of 4, however, adding a lentil side dish would be a good addition, as would a soft pita bread for scooping to eat instead of using spoons or forks.

Many of my favorite stories are set in India, and at the top of the list is The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Enjoying Indian food while in the midst of reading books set in that country enhances the experience in a delightful way, and who can’t do with a little more pleasantness in the day?

“Nan Graham is as Southern as black-eyed peas, scuppernong wine, she-crab soup, Crimson Tide tailgating and a dog with ticks. She is so relentlessly Southern she make me feel that I was born in Minnesota and Bailey White in Ohio!”
~ Pat Conroy, American novelist (1945 – ).

If you have ever been to a Texas-style barbecue, you have undoubtedly been offered some Texas Caviar, a sort of black eyed pea salsa. Some folks call it Cowboy Caviar, but since that name is also shared with a dish made from the private parts of certain livestock, we’ll stick with the Texas version for now.

This popular dish is perfect for tailgating parties because it is filling, nutritious, and it fits well with a lot of diets, being vegan and gluten-free. Black eyed peas are a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.

Looking around, you will undoubtedly find that there are about a million different recipes for this. That is because everyone makes it their own way. I started making mine for teenagers before they got into craving the endorphin rush from eating something spicy, so it is pretty mild. If you wish to doctor it up, feel free!

Texas Caviar
Makes about 6 cups
Time: 10 minutes + 2 hours resting

1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 (14-ounce) can corn, drained
1 (5-ounce) can chopped green or jalapeno chiles
¼ cup lime juice
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper (optional – to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 avocados, prepared at the last minute – peeled, pitted, and cut into small dice

Chop the tomatoes into pea-size pieces, then toss with remaining ingredients except the avocado in a bowl. Allow to rest for 2 – 4 hours so the flavors have a chance to blend. Gently fold in the avocado just before serving cold or at room temperature. Offer as a dip with tortilla chips or as a topping for crostini.

To make crostini, preheat oven to 350° F. Slice a baguette (long thin loaf of crusty French bread) into pieces about ½ inch thick. Lay out on a baking sheet and brush the top side of each slice with olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with garlic salt or rub with the cut side of a clove of fresh garlic. Place tray on the center rack in the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Remove slices to a plate for serving.

Enjoy!

“Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.” ~ Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (1770 – 1827)

Soup season is now in full swing. We have begun to rake leaves and the temperatures are no longer going above the 60’s for those of us living north of Cincinnati. Soups are nutritious, inexpensive and easy, beautiful and sensual. They are warming and comforting. They are good to come home to.

Take a simple soup, add a simple topping, and it goes from an economical choice to gourmet fare. Use a combination of toppings to compliment textures and temperatures as well as flavors — same soup made new with almost no extra effort and for most, just a few pennies more.

Note: Using a 12-ounce package of frozen cut vegetables such as a stir-fry mix equals 4 cups and will save a lot of prep time. Choose whichever one you like the best. Use commercially prepared Taco Seasoning Mix (read the label – they are not all created with ingredients we want to eat), or make your own from the recipe on page 110 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook.

Tortilla Soup Extraordinaria
Makes 8 cups
Slow-cooker: 5 minutes plus 8-10 hours cooking
Stove top: 35 minutes

4 cups (12 ounces) frozen vegetable blend
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chile
1 tablespoon Taco Seasoning Mix

Toppings of choice (see below)

Slow-Cooker:
Stir all ingredients together in a slow-cooker, set to low, cover and ignore for 8-12 hours.

Stove top:
Sauté the vegetables for 10 minutes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat (careful – cold vegetables may splatter when they hit the oil). Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, prepare some favorite toppings:

Seasoned Sour Cream:
Thoroughly blend 1 teaspoon taco seasoning mix with 1 cup sour cream, plain non-fat yogurt, or Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream substitute. Cover and allow the flavors to blend for at least 30 minutes, refrigerated. This also makes a very tasty dip!

Toasted Tortilla Strips:
Cut 2 corn tortillas into thin strips. Heat a dry skillet or sauté pan until hot. Add the tortilla strips and shake the skillet lightly to keep them moving until crispy, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Avocado:
Just before serving, dice one avocado. If you will be putting the avocado out on the table such as for a party, toss with 1 teaspoon of lime juice to reduce discoloration due to exposure to the air.

Black Olives:
Sliced or chopped, just a teaspoon on top of the topping adds color and saltiness.

Flavor Booster:
Float 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice or tequila on top of the hot soup.

Omnivores may like some crumbled, cook chorizo sausage to top their servings.

Serve soup hot in bowls or large mugs, garnishing as individuals wish. Maybe play a little Spanish influenced Ottmar Liebert music to go with it. Olé!