This is our vegan take on Imbibe’s Malted Hot Cocoa Mix. The mix has a higher cocoa to sugar ratio so it is more flavorful than almost anything you can get in the store. Since the cocoa is so prominent it is important to use a nice powder like Valrhona.

Hot Cocoa Mix

Ingredients

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups powdered soy milk
• 2 tablespoons corn starch, tapioca flour, or potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• pinch of fine sea salt
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg

Preparation

1. Gently combine ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk.
2. Sift the ingredients into a large bowl to thoroughly combine.  You can store this powder in airtight containers and give it as gifts to your friends and loved ones.
3. To prepare the hot cocoa, combine 1/4 cup hot chocolate mix with 8 ounces of hot water.
4. Top with your favorite gelatin-free marshmallows or, if you are Colombian, a slice of fresh cheese, or, if you are in the Christmas spirit, add a splash of whiskey or rum.

Not long ago, we won Michael Natkin‘s cookbook Herbivoracious at an Austin Food Bloggers‘ event. The book starts with a great introduction to ingredients and equipment, and its collection of recipes includes many international dishes with tons of variations and side suggestions. James and I have really enjoyed reading it and tonight we finally got around to trying a couple dishes.

Kimchi Stew sans Kimchi with Spicy Stir-Fried Squash

It finally dipped below freezing in Austin last night so we decided to tackle Natkin’s Kimchi Stew with Shiitake and Daikon. Thanks to JBG and some luck, we had nearly all of the ingredients in the refrigerator except for the title Kimchi! James loves to make this all-important fermented Korean staple and, surprisingly, we were out. Even more surprisingly it does not appear kimchi is stocked at Central Market!

Black Bean Muffins

Sweetened bean dishes are unusual in Western cuisine but they are quite popular in Asia. We had some black bean pudding left over after making frejol colado and this little experiment is what happened. Turned out pretty well!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 cup raw sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preparation

1. Combine beans, almond milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and eggs in a blender. Blend until thoroughly combined and the beans have been pureed.
2. Pour black bean mixture into a large bowl and stir in sugar, salt, salt, cloves, cinnamon, flour, and coconut.
3. Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
4. If you’d like, top with an icing of your choice.  We made this simple icing, but flavored it with ground cloves: http://www.thekitchn.com/simple-solutions-how-to-make-a-94001

Grapefruit Blinker Marmalade

A Blinker is a classic cocktail made with 2 ounces rye, 1 ounce grapefruit juice, and a teaspoon of grenadine. This marmalade is inspired by the cocktail and everything else that tastes good with grapefruit.

Ingredients

• 2 medium grapefruits
• 1 medium orange
• 1 lemon
• 4 cups raw sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups water
• 4 ounces rye whiskey

Preparation

1. Juice the grapefruits and orange. Finely chop the rinds and combine with the juice in a large non-reactive soup pot.
2. Zest and juice the whole lemon. Add the lemon zest and juice, chopped ginger, salt, water, and two cups of sugar to the pot.
3. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently, and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the mixture from heat. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
5. Once the mixture has matured, add the remaining two cups of sugar and rye whiskey. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir frequently to prevent the mixture from burning and continue to simmer until, using a candy thermometer, the mixture reaches  220 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have to increase the heat-level to reach the right temperature be sure to increase the frequency of your stirring as well.
6. Remove from heat, and ladle into sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe rims, seal jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
7. Carefully remove the jars from the water bath and let cool for 24 hours. Test the seals then store in a cool, dark place until ready to use or serve.

Makes 4 half-pints

This is a simple, no-frills recipe for pasta dough.  It is easiest made in a stand-up mixer, but can also be made by hand.  If you are so inclined, you can also add chopped herbs or other spices to make flavored pasta.

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• warm water

Preparation

1. In the bowl of the stand-up mixer with a hook attachment, combine flour, egg yolks, oil, and salt on the lowest-speed setting.
2. While mixing, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until a dough ball forms.  You will probably need somewhere between 1/3 and 2/3 cups of water.  You don’t want the dough to be smooth and not sticky. If you add too much water, don’t worry! — just sprinkle in some more flour.
3. Remove the dough from the mixer and knead on a floured surface for 8-10 minutes.
4. Let the dough rest in a covered, lightly floured bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.  If you’d like to store the dough longer, wet the surface with a small amount of olive oil and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Makes slightly over 1 pound of dough.