Jeff's Food Notes

Irish Whole Wheat Scones

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 05:00:00 +0000

This makes 4 scones.

Equipment

1 Bowls
Scale
1 cup glass measuring cup
Pan (greased or silicon lined)
Oven
Big spoon
Microplane

Ingredients

1 c (225 g) plant-based milk
1 tsp vinegar (such as apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted plant-based butter, cold
1 c (145 g) Irish coarse wholemeal flour (TBD: Instructions on making this to come later)
1 c (130 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions

Preheat Oven

375 degrees Fahrenheit

Prepare liquid ingredients

Add just under 1 c of milk to glass measuring cup
Add 1 tbsp vinegar to glass measuring cup
Grate about 1 tbsp of butter
Let sit while making other ingredients

Prepare dry ingredients

Add wholemeal flour to a mixing bowl, using the same bowl for the below steps
Add all-purpose flour to the mixing bowl
Add salt to the mixing bowl
Add baking soda to the mixing bowl
Stir the mixing bowl

Combine ingredients

Wait 5 minutes for the liquid ingredients to sit (if that hasn’t already elapsed)
Mix liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient mixing bowl
Mix until the no dry flour remains
Spoon onto pan into 4 portions

Bake

Put into oven for 15 min
Remove from oven when golden brown on top

Credits

Based on Brown Soda Bread Scones from Smitten Kitchen.

Wild Rice Soup

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 05:00:00 +0000

This makes 8 servings of soup

Equipment

1 large pot for soup
1 blender
1 bowl
1 cutting board
1 knife

Ingredients

1 cup cashews
1 can white kidney or canellini beans
2 medium onion (or 1 large)
5 cloves of garlic
3-5 carrots
3-5 celery stalks
2 small packages of mushrooms (or 1 large package or ~500g)
.75 cups of uncooked wild rice
4 small white or yellow potatoes (or 2 large)
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp olive oil
6 cup vegetable broth
(optional) 2 bay leaves
(optional) fresh rosemary or thyme

Instructions

Prep Cashews and Beans

Soak cashews in 1 cup tap hot water for 30 minutes
Blend beans (including the liquid they’ve been in) and cashews (including the water they’ve soaked in) until smooth

Prep Vegetables

Dice onions and garlic, set aside
Dice celery and carrots, set aside
Remove excess dirt from mushrooms
Finely chop mushrooms steps, set aside
Slice mushroom tops, set aside
Dice potatoes, set aside

Cook

After prep steps are complete, do the following:

Add olive oil to large pot
Set stove top to medium and cook until olive oil is warm
Add onions, garlic to the pot
Sauteee until they begin to soften (i.e. 3-5 minutes)
Add carrots, celery to the pot
Stir occassionally for 5 minutes
Add mushrooms and herbs to pot
Stir occassionaly just until they start to lose their juices
Add vegetable broth, potatoes, wild rice to pot
Add water to cover ingredients if ingredients are above the broth
Adjust stove top temperature to get the pot to a low simmer
Cook until potatoes and wild rice are tender (i.e. 30-45 minutes)
Add frozen peas
Add to soup
Add salt and pepper to taste
Remove from stove top, and allow soup to sit for 4 hours or the next day
- Note: You can eat immediately, but tastes best if allowed to sit

Credits

Based on Carli Wulff’s recipe.

Blueberry Scones

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 05:00:00 +0000

This makes 4 scones.

Equipment

1 Bowls
Pastry blender/cutter
Pan (greased or silicon lined)
Oven
Big spoon
Microplane

Ingredients

60 g all purpose flour
60 g whole wheat flour
1 lemon’s worth of zest
16 g raw or brown sugar (baked in)
1 tsp raw sugar (for topping)
1 tsp baking powder
.25 tsp salt
35 g butter
.5 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
.33 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
1 egg (or egg subsistute)

Instructions

Preheat Oven

400 degrees Fahrenheit

Make dough

Mix flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, lemon zest in a bowl
Use pastry blender or fingers to cut butter into pea-sized pieces
Add blueberries and mix in
Add milk and mix in

Shape

Remove dough and place on baking sheet
Shape dough into a circle 1 inch high
Cut dough into 4 wedges and separate from each other
Brush with beaten egg and topping sugar

Bake

Put into oven for 15 min
Remove from oven when golden brown on top

Credits

Based on Very Blueberry Scones from Smitten Kitchen.

Thai Cabbage Salad

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Makes 8-10 servings.

Equipment

Blender
Cutting board
Large knife
Julienne peeler or food processor
Very large bowl
Serving bowls (or plates, YOLO)

Ingredients

Salad

1 small green cabbage
2 bell peppers
1 large cucumber
1 large carrot (or 3 small carrots)
1 cup edamame
5-10 green onions
1/4 cup cilantro
Handful of peanuts per serving
2 pints of cherry tomatoes

Dressing

5 cloves of garlic
Finger sized chunk peeled ginger
3/4 cup peanuts (or peanut butter)
3 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup grape seed oil (or an amount to taste)
1 tbsp honey, agave, or sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce (or an amount to taste)
1 jalapeno or chili flakes (or an amount to taste)

Instructions

Salad

If the edamame has not been pre-cooked, skip otherwise
1. Boil in water for 1 minute
2. Rinse immediately in cold water
Finely shred cabbage
Chop bell peppers
Julienne the cucumber
Julienne the carrots
Chop cilantro
Thinly slice the onions
Add all ingedients to a large bowl
Mix

Dressing

Put all dressing ingredients into blender
Blend until smooth
Put into a bowl for storage and gradual serving

Serving

Chop enough cherry tomatoes for each serving
Add cherry tomatoes
Add salad portion to bowls
Combine salad with dressing into individual portions
Top each serving with peanuts
Refrigerator what’s remaining (salad and dressing separately)

Rhubarb Scones

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 05:00:00 +0000

This makes 15-18 scones.

Equipment

Cutting board
Knife
3 Bowls (small + medium + large)
Pastry Cutter
Pan (greased or silicon lined)
Oven
Big spoon

Ingredients

6-8 rhubarb stalks
650 g all-purpose flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
225 g butter
1 vanilla bean (2-3 in long)
200 g granulated sugar
1.33-1.5 cups heavy cream

Instructions

Preheat Oven

425 degrees Fahrenheit if using a standard oven
410 degress Fahrenheit if using convection oven

Make vanilla sugar

Slice vanilla bean in half
Remove vanilla bean seeds
Put sugar in small bowl
Put vanilla bean seeds into bowl

Prepare rhubarb

Remove top and bottom inch of rhubarb stalks
Cut rhubarb into .25 in slices
Toss rhubarb in medium bowl
Mix in 25% of the vanilla sugar
Let sit

Make scone dough

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl
Cut butter in with pastry blender until small pea sized bits
Add 66% of the remaining vanilla sugar
Add rhubarb to the dough
Stir
Add in 1.33 cups of heavy cream
Mix by hand, if soft dough forms stop. If dough is still dry, cream slowly until soft dough forms.

Form scones

Divide dough in half
Transfer one half to counter top
Form into a small circle
Cut into 8 wedges
Transfer wedges to pan
Sprinkle wedges with half of remaining vanilla sugar
Repeat for other half of dough

Bake scones

Put into oven
Bake for 15-20 min until golden
Remove from oven and let sit for 5 min

Credits

Based on Naughty Rhubarb Scones from Food 52 .

Pickled Veggie Sandwiches

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 05:00:00 +0000

This makes 8-10 sandwiches of pickled vegetables. The recipe takes 5 days to ferment, and shoud be eaten within 2 weeks.

Equipment

Glass Jar
Small pot

Ingredients

Note: Any of the vegetables can be replaced.

2-3 carrots
1 cucumber
2 bell peppers
3 handfuls of snap peas
2 cups of distilled vinegar
8 tbsp of sugar
4 tbsp of salt
2 tbsp of mustard seeds
2 tbsp of pickling spices (or all yellow mustard)
2 cups of cold water
Vegan mayo or cheddar cheese
Bread (recommend a hearty bread, like sour dough)

Instructions

Except the water, combine all other ingredients into the pot to make a brine
Heat pot on medium until sugar disolves (about 5 minutes)
Remove pot from heat and pour in 2 cups of cold water
When the brine is cool to the touch, add to the glass jar
Make sure as many vegetables as possible are covered in the brine
Put glass jar in fridge
Over the next 5 days, periodically check the jar to make sure vegetables eventually are covered in liquid
Serve onto bread, spreading mayo or cheese before applying vegetables

Credits

Inspired by Smitten Kicthen’s Pickled Vegetable Slaw .

Cornmeal Buns

Sun, 04 Apr 2021 05:00:00 +0000

This makes 7 buns

Equipment

Large glass measuring cup
Mixing bowl
Pan
Cooking Sheet
Scale
Cloth
Oven

Ingredients

315g Almond Milk
20g Sugar
10g Rapid Rise Yeast
8g Salt
70g Olive Oil
325g All Purpose Flour
30g Whole Wheat Flour
30g Cornmeal

Instructions

Add the almond milk to the glass measuring cup
Warm the almond milk in the microwave until warm to the touch (probably 45s, but touch it to find out if it’s roughly body temperature)
Add sugar and yeast to the measuring cup and stir
Let sit
Switch to the empty mixing bowl and add both flours with cornmeal and salt
Switch back to glass measuring cup and add olive oil
Stir measuring cup until mixed
Add contents of glass measuring cup to mixing bowl
Stir until all dry ingredients are wet
Knead it for 3-4 minutes
Cover it with cloth or in way that air can get in
Allow the dough to rise for 30-40 minutes, or until it’s doubled in size
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F degrees
Punch the dough down in the mixing bowl
Divide the dough into 7 balls (each is about 100g)
Shape the balls so that they are 3-4in wide, and 1in thick
Place the balls on the cooking sheet
Let the balls rise for a few minutes (until they double in size)
Bake cooking sheet for 30min, or until the buns are brown on the bottom
Let them cool before serving (likely 10min)

Credits

Inspired by recipe from the book Grit Cookbook .

Shakshuka

Sun, 07 Mar 2021 05:00:00 +0000

This shakshuka recipe makes four servings.

Equipment

Large sautee pan or dutch oven (instructions refer to this as dutch oven) w/ lid
Stirring spoon
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Baking sheet

Ingredients

3 medium onions
5 cloves garlic
4 large bell peppers
1 tbsp cilantro
2 or 3 pablano peppers
3/4 teaspoon cumin seed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tbsp paprika
2 bay leaves
1 pinch of cayanne pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
Kosher salt, to taste
4 tbsp coarse sugar
1 28 ou can whole peeled or diced tomatoes, undrained
(optional) 6 eggs
(optional) 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
(optional) Crusty bread or pita

Instructions

Slice onions into thin slivers
Crush garlic
Chop bell peppers
Chop cilantro
(Whole peeled tomatoes only) Break up tomatoes into smaller pieces
Place pablano peppers under the broiler for 5-7 minutes or until charred.
Place pablano peppers into a bowl with a lid (or plate) on top to sweat out its juices. This is just for a minute or two, or until the skin is peeling.
Peel the skin off the pablano peppers.
In the bottom of the dutch oven, toast the cumin seeds on medium to high heat until fragrant.
Add olive oil to dutch oven, and turn to medium heat.
When oil is hot, add the onions and sautee for 5 minutes or until they are soft.
Add bell peppers, garlic, paprika, bay leaves, thyme, salt and sugar to the dutch oven.
Over the course of 10 minutes, stir the dutch oven every minute or so.
When the bell peppers are soft, add in tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir often
- Add water as needed to keep to a pasta-sauce like consistency
(If using eggs) After the flavours have come together, crack eggs into the dutch oven and cook at a lower heat covered until the yolk is set.
Yum time.

Credits

Inspired by recipes from Smitten Kitchen and Plenty.

Torn Pancakes

Sat, 19 Sep 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Torn Pancakes

Makes a meal for two.

Equipment

Two medium sized mixing bowls
Electric mixer
Non-stick pan
Spatula
Egg separator
Baking scale (if using weights for ingredients)
Stove
Microwave

Ingredients

4 large eggs
2 tbsp / 25 grams granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup / 120 ml milk, any kind
3/4 cup / 100 grams all-purpose flour
2-3 tablespoons / 30 - 40 grams unsalted butter
Jam, applesauce or another fruit sauce

Instructions

Start by separating the egg whites from the yolks; yolks into the first bowl, whites into the second bowl.
In the first medium bowl, combine the egg yolks with sugar, salt, baking powder
1. Whisk until smooth
2. Add milk and whisk
3. Add in flour, lumps are OK
In the other bowl, beat the egg whites for about 3-4 minutes until they are stiff
Start heating the pan on the stove at medium heat
Melt the butter into the microwave
Add half the butter to the pan
Gently move the egg whites into the first bowl (this is called folding, don’t deflate the egg whites)
Add the first bowl to the pan and cook
When one site of the torn pancake is cooked, cut in half and flip each side
Once both sides are cooked, then use the spatula to break into pieces
Add butter
Sautee the pieces
Serve and add your fruit of or spread of choice
Eat!

Adapted from this recipe

Banana Pancakes

Sat, 05 Sep 2020 05:00:00 +0000

Oatmeal Pancakes

Makes about 8 medium-sized pancakes (medium, as in, about the size of a hand).

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Small bowl
Frying pan or griddle
Spatula (or something to flip pancakes while in a pan)
Baking scale (optional – makes it easier to measure out the ingredients)

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground flax seed
2.5 tbsp water
2 large ripe bananas (250 grams)
80 g of oatmeal
.25 tsp salt
.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
95 g whole wheat flour
5 tbsp non-diary milk (we use almond)
Canola oil (for greasing the oil griddle)

Instructions

Get your griddle started warming up to medium heat
In small bowl, mix water and flax seed.
Set the small bowl
Mash banana in the mixing bowl
Add oats to the mixing bowl
Add salt to the mixing bowl
Stir
Pour in the water+flax mixture to the mixing bowl
Add baking power to the mixing bowl
Thoroughly mix it in
Add whole wheat flower to the mixing bowl
Mix thoroughly
Add as much milk as it takes to get it to batter-y consistency (thick or looser depending on your preferences)
Add the batter to the griddle in blobs to fry the pancakes
Stuff your face! 😄