Recipes | Pamela Toman

Raspberry Lemonade

This beautifully pink recipe works particularly well in late May/early June, when there are still some end-of-season lemons and the raspberry bushes are laden with harvest. I wouldn't recommend sourcing this recipe in a grocery store trip; it'd probably be both excessively expensive and not nearly as tasty as when a neighborhood/friend group is drowning in lemons and raspberries.

If you start with 1¾ c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (5-12 lemons), you will get 7 cups of lemonade. Alternative ratios are below recipe.

Ingredients	Step
lemons that will produce 1¾ c. juice (5-12)	Roll lemons. Then squeeze into a large liquid measuring cup until you have 1¾ c. lemon juice. (If you have an alternate amount of juice, scale everything else accordingly — see ratio below recipe.)
2 c. raspberries (8 oz., or half a metal camping bowl) ½ c. lemon juice	Puree in blender, then strain through a sieve into a bowl. Discard solids (the seeds).
1¼ c. lemon juice 1 c. white sugar 5 c. water raspberry-lemon juice	Combine in a pitcher that can hold at least 8 cups. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Taste and adjust as needed (remembering there will be ice).
	Serve over ice, possibly with a sprig of mint. Sugar rims are nice; salt rims are not (even after yardwork).

The scaling ratio is: For each ¼ c. lemon juice, use ¼ c. raspberries, ⅛ c. sugar, and ⅔-¾ c. water. Each root unit makes a single serving (8 oz. lemonade plus ice yields a 12-16 oz. serving).

Source: Once Upon a Chef

French Toast

A basic but solid French toast recipe. The original recipe had a picture boasting heart-shaped food!

Ingredients	Step
2 eggs ⅛ c. milk 1 T. sugar ½ t. cinnamon dash nutmeg ¼ t. vanilla	Whisk well, then pour into a shallow dish.
egg mixture 5 slices bread	Fry in buttered skillet, flipping when needed.

Source: FoodNetwork

Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken

The best seitan recipe I've made. Works acceptably alone, or even better in chicken noodle/chicken rice soup or as bbq chicken. Tastes best if browned in some oil before using. If you're making soup, you can re-use the seitan boiling broth as its base.

Don't overtax your food processor's motor. You may need a new one if you make this recipe often....

To make a nice seitan, the broth must NOT be too hot. The technique below sets a "skin" first — otherwise you get seitan brains.

Makes 4 pounds, so you'll probably use it for 2-3 recipes. The weight/volume ratio is 2 c. shredded to 8 oz. weight. It freezes well after being pulled apart.

Ingredients	Step
2 c. water 1 T. olive oil 2 t. apple cider vinegar 1½ t. salt (truly) 2 t. onion powder 1 t. garlic powder ½ t. pepper ⅛ t. turmeric (for color)	Whiz together in food processor.
¼ c. nutritional yeast ½ c. pea protein powder (aka pea isolate aka pea flour — nothing but "yellow peas" on label)	Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
1½ c. vital wheat gluten	Pulse in, until incorporated. Then process on low about 5 minutes. Give your motor a break as needed!
10 c. chicken-y vegetable broth (can stretch with water) 8 bay leaves	Bring broth to a boil in a large pan.
4 9" double-layered squares of cheesecloth twine	Divide the dough into 4 pieces, trying not to overhandle it. Roll each into an 8-inch roll, fold in half, give a twist, and pull to 6-inches. Wrap in cheesecloth, snugly but not tightly, and tie with twine. If you have loose cheesecloths threads, try to keep them away from the seitan-touching edge. Leave a wee bit of slack in the wrap so the seitan can plump up (be able to pull the cheesecloth away by about ½ inch once wrapped). Let them rest until all bundles are prepared.
	After the broth is at a low boil, lower the heat so it isn't boiling at all (but is still very hot). Add the seitan bundles, which will cause another drop in temperature. Bring the heat up slightly and let the seitan cook for 20 minutes in that hot broth without boiling. Then raise the heat to achieve a low boil, and let the seitan cook for 45 more minutes, lid ajar. Turn the bundles every ~15 minutes.
	Turn off the heat. Cool completely in broth to room temperature, either on the stove or in a cool place. (Likely this takes an hour or more.)
	Pull apart.

Source: Isa Chandra's Post Punk Kitchen

Carrot White Bean Salad

A lovely salad that works as a side dish for omnivores and an entree for vegetarians (easily vegan-izable).

Substituting other herbs and sweeteners works well. Thyme and maple syrup, for instance, is another nice combination.

Have it ready a bit before serving; it improves as it sits.

Ingredients	Step
scant ¼ c. olive oil heaping ⅓ c. shallot, very thinly sliced	Saute briefly, just enough to take off the raw onion edge.
warmed shallots and oil 3 T. lemon juice ¼ c. dill, chopped scant ¼ t. salt	Combine and adjust dressing to taste. Don't sweeten yet. Set aside.
4 carrots, sliced (~2 c.) olive oil	Saute the carrots in batches so they stay in a single layer, until deeply browned (~12 minutes per layer).
3 c. white beans (2 cans)	Add. Cook about 5 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
dressing ~2 T. honey	Stir dressing in. Sweeten to taste (consider the carrots).
⅓ c. sliced almonds, toasted	Serve with toasted almonds.

Source: Heidi Swanson (101 Cookbooks)

Pretzel Bites

From nothing to pretzel bites in under 90 minutes.

Some people think these deserve beer cheese....

Ingredients	Step
300 g flour (2½ c.) 6 g salt (1 t.) 1 t. sugar 7 g yeast (2¼ t.) up to 1 c. warm water, depending on ambient humidity	Combine all ingredients. Knead until normal bread dough texture (sticky like a post-it, soft like a marshmallow). Cover the mixing bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.
3 c. water 2 T. baking soda	While resting, prepare the baking soda bath. In a very large saucepan, heat and stir until the soda is totally dissolved. Set pan aside to cool to room temperature (no warmer than lukewarm).
	Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a work surface.
	Prepare a baking sheet. Because of the baking soda bath, the pretzel bites really like to stick and to overcook on their bottoms. I've had the best luck with a well-oiled silpat mat on a light-colored air-gap baking sheet. Ungreased parchment paper produces papery bites.
	Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll ropes and cut pieces. Drop the pieces into the baking soda solution, swish them around, and let them sit for a few minutes. The longer they sit, the more they'll lose their integrity and the darker and more "pretzel-ly" they'll cook up.
coarse salt	Transfer the bites to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.
	Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.
3 T. butter, melted	Brush with melted butter, then flip the bites and brush their bottoms too. Transfer to rack to cool.

Source: Charlotte Rutledge (KAF)

Pamela Toman

Raspberry Lemonade

French Toast

Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken

Carrot White Bean Salad

Pretzel Bites

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