in which she tells you what to do when your sister wants a cookie and you want fruit.

...in case, of course, one of these days you go get yourself knocked up and are scrambling for ways to incorporate fruit into every thing you put in your mouth.

orange double-chocolate cookies



1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup cocoa powder (use a nice one!)
1 cup buttery spread, softened
about 3/4 cup turbinado sugar, depending on how sweet you like your cookie. i would've put in a little less, but i have a freakishly low tolerance for sugar that has only become exacerbated since baby started giving me sugar hangovers if i dare even drink a mango lemonade (okay, yes, it was a 32oz one but STILL).
2tbs molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1.5 tbs orange zest
chocolate chips to your liking (about 1/2 cup)

* preheat oven to 350F
* whisk together dry ingredients (flour through cocoa powder).
* cream together the buttery spread and sugar. add in molasses (tip: if you oil your spoon first it will help the molasses slide right out), vanilla, zest and eggs.
* add dry ingredients to wet and mix til just combined.
* stir in chocolate chips.
* chill for at least an hour.
* form cookies into tablespoon sized balls. flatten slightly before baking.
* bake for 10-12 minutes, until set and browned around the edges.
* let rest on cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire cooling rack (or, uh, your mouth if you don't follow directions well, like me).


inspired by baking bites

in which she introduces you to the listeria monster

by far my least favourite part of pregnancy is what i like to call the listeria monster -- my catch-all phrase for the fact that, as julia moskin wrote in the new york times, "our responsibility for minimizing risk through perfect behavior feels vast." in other words, the rules of what not to eat in pregnancy are both never-ending and vague, especially considering you'd be more likely to get hit by a bus on your way to eat said food than to contract listeria from it.

at first i just thought it was "soft cheeses." okay, simple enough (though my despair at the prohibition of goat cheese runs deep). but eventually it became clear that this wasn't as intuitive as it sounds. "soft" cheese does include manchego, but doesn't include cream cheese. whether or not fresh mozzarella counts is up for debate; processed mozzarella is fine. then one learns that whether any soft cheese that is pasteurized is actually bad is also up for debate: the cdc currently claims cheese is safe as long as it has been pasteurized. yet there have been recalls in pasteurized cheese as well.

but the plot thickens: any search for a particular cheese eventually uncovers about a billion other things that the perfect pregnant woman might want to avoid, based on previous "outbreaks" (inevitably you will learn about these things after you have consumed them): bagged lettuce, packaged hummus, soft-serve ice cream...bean sprouts?? oh wait, and listeria's been found in packaged ice cream too. okay, maybe not since the eighties, but it has.

it quickly has become fairly clear to me that listeria (and various other bacteria) can show up in a variety of places, not simply in the few villainized cheeses we're told to avoid. in fact, when it comes to women who are buying raw cheeses and milk -- from local, reputable sources -- and are used to consuming these products, i would go out on a limb and say they should continue to do so, pregnant or not (as evidenced by the fact that other countries with less stringent pasteurization guidelines also have less listeria outbreaks). ultimately i tend to throw up my hands and want to run away from the internet forever, because it makes me feel like all eating is a leap of faith. but that seems to come with the territory, i've realized. everything's a leap of faith when you're pregnant: you just have to trust the universe is going to bring that baby to you, because the amount of could-happens are endless, and there's no way to control any of it.

...

still, i can't shake the feeling that if i did eat some goat cheese, get listeria, and lose the baby, i would feel like a Grade A Asshole. in other words i'm something of a control freak despite my healthy cynicism in all things fda and cdc. so i compromise with meals like the following, where the oh-so-dangerous cheeses i lived off of pre-pregnancy get cooked to 160F.

zucchini stuffed with feta and roasted peppers



some notes on this recipe: originally i made double the amount of marinade for the zucchini (ie step 3) but when i eyeballed what was left at the end, it seemed to me that i could've halved the ingredients and had more than enough. if you try this, let me know how it worked for you.

i also think some spiced lentils would be at home in the stuffing, for an added protein kick. this is a very easy recipe to mess around with to your tastes; try it and let me know!

lastly, i think the recipe could use a bit more...you got it, feta. the flavours were nice and we enjoyed this meal immensely, but i'm a cheese fanatic and really desired more.

a mix of five zucchini and/or yellow summer squash
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
juice of 1 lemon
1.5 tbs olive oil
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 16oz jar roasted red and/or yellow peppers, drained and chopped
.25lb french feta, drained and chopped
2/3 cup homemade, whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

* preheat the oven to 450F
* cut zucchini into halves, discarding ends, and with a spoon or melonballer (which would likely be easier for a household that has such a thing -- which is to say, not ours) scoop out the center of each section. reserve the insides for another use if you can; we saved it for the food i make neeley. place in lightly oiled baking dish.
* in a small bowl, whisk together crushed red pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and seat salt. brush your zucchini with this mixture, and place in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until the zucchini reaches the consistency you desire. (at 20 minutes, you'll get a tender-but-firm zucchini; i think next time i'll leave them in longer to brown a bit more.)
* meanwhile, chop peppers and feta cheese. place peppers, feta, bread crumbs, oregano, and black pepper in a bowl, and stir together.
* when the zucchini is ready, shut off the oven and turn on the broiler.
* stuff shells with this cheese mixture.
* place pan in broiler and broil until bubbling and golden-brown, about 5 minutes.

adapted from gourmet

in which she explains how to eat fruit for dinner, part one

as i explained in my last post, pregnancy has made me something of a fruit-a-holic. thank goodness, then, for the enchanting molly of orangette, who has saved the day by turning my insane cravings into something that appears like a brilliant dinner to my husband, who, alas, is sharing the food of pregnancy without the hormones that motivate them.

early summer composed salad and whole wheat buttermilk biscuits


despite being a good sport about eating whatever it is i crave on any given day, a puts his foot down when it comes to melon. for some reason, he just can't stand the stuff. so when i read the recipe for molly's salad and knew i needed it, i decided to sub in strawberries and nectarines on his plate. lovely.



this ingredients list is very approximate. for example, while molly recommends 1/2 a small canteloupe for two people, i probably ate 1/2 a large canteloupe all by myself (if such a thing as "all by myself" exists anymore). so feel free to up-or-down the ingredients according to your own personal preferences.

in terms of the olive oil, here is one of the times to pull out the big guns and really use a lovely, top-quality extra virgin olive oil.

½ of a small ripe cantaloupe, seeds and rind removed, cut into rough 1-inch chunks
a few strawberries, sliced thickly
1 small nectarine, cut into rough 1-inch chunks
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced
about 4 ounces baby arugula
1 tbs olive oil, plus more for serving
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
crunchy sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

* divide the fruit and mozzarella between two plates.

* put the arugula in a medium bowl. in a small cup, whisk together 1 tbs. olive oil, 1 tsp. lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. drizzle the dressing over the arugula, and, using your hands, toss very gently. put a handful of arugula on each plate, alongside the fruit and mozzarella.

* sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the mozzarella. splash a bit of lemon juice over the melon. drizzle the melon and mozzarella with olive oil.

when i had asked a, who is really the vegetarian version of a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, what he would want on the side of a dinner composed exclusively of salad, he requested some kind of fresh bread. so i baked these little biscuits, which were quite lovely indeed.

whole wheat buttermilk biscuits
2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2.5 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttery spread
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 tbs honey

* preheat the oven to 400F. lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
* whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in a large mixing bowl.
* with a fork or in a food processor, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
* whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and honey in a small bowl. add to flour mixture and blend lightly with a fork til mixture is evenly moistened. don't overmix.
* turn the dough onto a floured work surface and gently fold the dough into itself a few times until it comes together. (this is a process rather like kneading, only less aggressive. you don't want your dough to become tough.)
* pat the dough out until it's 3/4" thick. cut the dough into circles with a 2" biscuit cutter (or mouth of a glass, or whatever you have handy), and place on baking sheet. stack the scraps on top of each other, fold them as you did the original dough, and repeat until dough is completely used.
* bake until tops are golden brown, 20 or so minutes. these may be served warm; otherwise cool on a rack.

adapted from the king arthur flour book of whole grain baking

in which she christens her new blog with, of course, broccoli

the first trimester was like nothing i expected. despite fancying myself very well educated on pregnancy and childbirth, my idea of "morning sickness" was taken straight out of a sitcom. i had no idea that the actual experience is like the world mocking you with all of its disgusting food, evidence of which was impossible to avoid. it hit early, and fast: from weeks five through thirteen or so, i felt sea-sick twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. there was very little that i could eat, and most of it involved the most bland flavours imaginable (think faux-chicken soup minus anything that even resembled faux-chicken: i.e., broth, whole wheat egg noodles, and carrots, with just the teeniest amount of white pepper and celery salt to make it all taste vaguely like chicken soup). when the repetition got to be too much for me, and i tested the waters with something like veggie sushi, for example, oh i paid. dearly. ultimately my demoralized body learned not to even crave anything but cheese sandwiches. well, that's not strictly true: one afternoon, i wanted a mickey mouse ice cream bar so badly i sobbed and sobbed over the fact that they had stopped being produced before i even reached adolescence. ultimately, i think i cooked a half-dozen dinners in those eight weeks. once, i made a veggie pot pie while sitting on the couch because i was too exhausted to stand for as long as it would have taken to chop all those potatoes and carrots. couch notwithstanding, i was inordinately proud.

the "morning" sickness didn't disappear overnight like i had heard it had for many pregnant women, much to my chagrin, but somewhere around week thirteen i was suddenly able to eat vegetables again. it was as though the skies broke and the angels sang. just around the time the baby began to flutter around like a little hummingbird, i began to develop very strong cravings for salads (especially with beets), hummus sandwiches, and fruit. oh, pounds and pounds of fruit. always partial to veggies myself, it seems that this little parasite inside me must be a fruit lover, because all i ever want to eat is pineapple, cold juicy apples, and grapefruit. not to mention mangoes (which i had miraculously managed to stomach during the first trimester as well), strawberries, and nectarines! and canteloupe. oh, canteloupe. nectar of the gods! i literally eat half a canteloupe upon waking every. single. morning.

though i have definitely managed to incorporate fruit into our dinners on a number of occasions these days, luckily i still enjoy my old favourite veggies, even if i don't crave them quite as ferociously. as long as they're prepared in a fresh, light way, baby and mama are happy. especially if there's fruit for desert.

pasta and broccoli, squared


1/2 cup buttery spread (divided in half)
6 oz shallots, peeled and chopped (divided in half)
3 teaspoons grated lemon peel (divided in half)
1/4 cup water
1 large can (19oz) cannellini beans (divided in half)
2 tsps dried red pepper (divided in half)
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch (about a pound) rapini (aka broccoli rabe), coarsely chopped
sea salt to taste
about 12oz whole wheat spaghettini
grated pecorino romano, to taste


* put a large pot of salted water on to boil. when it does, cook spaghettini according to package directions.
* meanwhile, in a large saute pan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. add 1/2 cup shallots, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel, and 1tsp red pepper, and saute about 2 minutes.
* add broccoli, 1/2 can of beans, and 1/4 cup water. sprinkle with sea salt. cover and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. transfer broccoli to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
* melt remaining 1/4 cup butter with remaining shallots, lemon peel, and red pepper in the same skillet over high heat; sauté 2 minutes. add rapini and the remaning beans. sprinkle with salt, cover, and cook until rapini wilts, about 2 minutes. uncover and sauté until tender, about 1 minute longer. mix into broccoli.
* when pasta is done, add broccoli mixture. serve topped with pecorino romano!

in which she reintroduces b, and b_eats

welcome to the new home of b_eats: a foodblog without a moral. i started this foodblog on livejournal over a year ago now. beginning the blog was simply the response to friends' constant requests for my recipes; i was, honestly, totally unaware of the wide world of foodblogging on this here world wide web.

over the course of the past year, i became more familiar with the plethora of foodblogs at my fingertips, all to the benefit of my cooking, no doubt! i move the blog now for two reasons: one, because blogger seems a more natural place to house what i like to think of as part of the foodblogging community; and, two, because there are some other new beginnings happening in our household. this change was, incidentally, the cause of a long hiatus in b_eats posting, and indeed b eating at all. the change was something of a parasite, one we affectionately know as "the sea monster."

yes, sometime in late november or so, b_eats will add another member to its cast of regulars, still inside our brooklyn house with its bright blue door, and who, dear reader, i'll remind you of now:

the happy guinea pig (and husband) a;

the pup who wishes she was a guinea pig, neeley;

the kitty kibble connoisseur, shoeboot ;

and the only cat in the world who will eat lettuce (and scones, and muffins), aracat.

now that i'm over "morning sickness" (which i, who desperately missed enjoying food and not simply eating in a desperate attempt to stave off nausea, often mournfully called "the tragic cycle of early pregnancy") and am back in the kitchen, i'm eager to pick up where i left off. our meals together, often our favourite time of day prior to pregnancy, have taken on an even more exciting significance when i imagine this little person who currently kicks and pokes and bounces without fail after i eat, out and about, sitting at our table with us.

in the meantime, i hope you enjoy virtually sitting at our table with us, and hope these recipes inspire you to also kick and bounce happily. over the course of the next week or so, i hope to move my archive to this new home, and update with some new recipes as well. with such a big change in the works, some things won't ever change: i've now been vegetarian for sixeen years, and have been partial to spicy food for, oh, about twenty-seven, give or take a couple of years where i was partial to breastmilk. i still cook almost exclusively with whole grains. oh, and i still enjoy jokes about horror movies that involve vassar grads named buffy.

sometimes we rock and roll / i'd rather stay at home

it was about a year ago now that i first started this blog, and -- i know, i know! -- after the first few months i really fell off the wagon in terms of updating it. what's perhaps amusing, is that i religiously punch out my recipes into the blog but only as "private" entries, and only in a type of shorthand that no one would be able to read. they then stagnate, for want of pictures and narrative, with that little private eye icon hovering over them for all time. a sad fate, it's true; but take it up with my decision to try to get myself a phd.

however, i decided nothing would keep me from posting our valentine's day dinner this year. we usually do the fondue thing on valentine's day, which is easy and inevitably fun, but this year i concocted a surprise which was, if i do say so myself not only quite delightful, but quite clever: i surprised a with foods reminiscent of our wedding. all the dishes i decided to make were variations on the dishes at the wedding, and i certainly didn't make even near half of the unbelievable food that our lovely chef created for our guests (much of which caused the most meat-and-potatoes of all the meat-and-potatoes folk i know to exclaim, "if i could eat like this every day, i'd be vegetarian, too!). but it was just reminiscent enough that a got it (maybe the birds that had adorned our cupcake tower sitting on our plate of cupcakes was a giveaway). and it was just delicious enough that if he hadn't gotten it, it still would have been a hell of a treat. everything was beyond fantastic.

portabello "steak" sandwiches with gorgonzola butter



5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 pounds sliced fresh Portobello mushrooms

2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese (about 1/4 cup) at room temperature
1 tablespoon buttery spread (if substituting butter, use unsalted)

1/3 cup chopped, drained bottled roasted red peppers
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons olive oil

crusty bread, cut diagonally into slices (i used whole wheat baguette)

* in a small bowl whisk together balsamic vinegar, garlic, thyme leaves, and olive oil. put half of the sliced mushrooms and half of marinade in each of 2 large sealable plastic bags. shake the bag well so that the marinade is coating all mushrooms. marinate mushrooms at room temperature, turning bags over several times, at least 1 and up to 2 hours.
* while the mushrooms are marinating, make the gorgonzola butter and red pepper vinegarette (and prep any other courses you are making):
* in a small bowl, mash the goronzola and butter together until blended well. you're done with the gorgonzola butter!
* in a blender blend roasted red pepper, white wine vinegar, water, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. blend until smooth.
* turn oven broiler onto high. take slices of bread and carefully spoon some of the mushroom marinade onto the inside of each. broil until desired crispiness, about 3-5 minutes. spread inside of each slice of bread with gorgonzola butter.
* remove mushrooms from marinade and broil 3 or so minutes on each side, or until tender.
* arrange warm mushrooms on bread and spoon vinaigrette over each open-faced sandwich.

adapted from gourmet

saffron-spiced rice with peas



1 1/2 cups brown and wild rice (or other long-grain brown rice), rinsed well
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
a 3-inch cinnamon stick
7 whole cloves
1/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, preferably fresh
1 teaspoon salt
7 oz frozen peas, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
2 tablespoons milk, rice milk, or soy milk (i used unsweetened rice milk)

* in a large saucepan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. add the cinnamon stick, cloves and ground cardamom, stirring and frying the spices until the cloves are a bit puffy (about 30 seconds).
* add rice and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the rice is opaque. add stock, lemon juice, salt and frozen peas, stirring to disperse the peas. bring the mixture to a boil, and cook the rice, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes.
* about 5-7 minutes before the rice is done, place a heatproof bowl over a small pan of simmering water. heat the saffrom for 4-5 minutes until saffron is brittle and fragrant. add milk or milk substitute, heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it is hot, and remove the pan from the heat. drizzle the saffron mixture over the rice and continue to cook the rice, covered, for 5 minutes. remove the pan from the heat and let the rice stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

adpated from gourmet

pumpkin cupcakes with white-chocolate truffle frosting



at our wedding, we had three different kinds of cupcake from the amazing sugar sweet sunshine bakery, but both a and i were partial to the pumpkin ones with cream cheese frosting. i played with this a bit by using a white chocolate truffle frosting instead, which was truly decadent.

1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup whole barley flour (if you can't find barley flour, you can grind pearled barley in a coffee grinder. i did so in two batches. just make sure it grinds completely smooth.)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup buttery spread, softened (if substituting butter, use unsalted)
1/2 canola oil
4 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree

* preheat the oven to 350F. grease or paper muffin tin.
* whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl.
* mix together the brown sugar, butter, and oil in a large bowl until thick and mayonnaise-like in consistency. beat in the eggs, one at a time. stir in the pumpkin, then the dry ingredients. mix well. transfer the batter to the pans.
* bake 30-35 minutes, or until top spring backs when lightly touched and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
* remove muffins and cool on a rack before frosting with recipe below.

adapted from the king arthur flour book of whole grain baking

white chocolate truffle frosting
2 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream (make sure this is extremely cold)
3/8 cup unsalted butter or buttery spread, cut into pieces
1 1/2 3.5oz bars good-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

* bring 1 cup cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. remove from heat.
* add white chocolate and stir until smooth. whisk in vanilla.
* let remaining white chocolate mixture in saucepan stand at room temperature until lukewarm, about 20 minutes.
* using electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/4 cups cream and almond extract in large bowl until peaks form. this will take a while, so be patient. it will help if the bowl is chilled, as well. working in 3 batches, fold in lukewarm white chocolate mixture. refrigerate whipped cream frosting just until medium peaks hold, folding occasionally, about 3 hours.

adapted from bon appetit

so, blow, november blow / my sweetheart home

vegetable chowder and quick brown bread! (vegan)

i fretted my way through this soup, i must admit. i've never been one for corn chowder, though i've had many a friend who love it. but when i happened across thisrecipe and was faced with the prospects of a 65-degree day in late november -- thus necessitating something at once fallish and...springish? -- plus some green beans that needed to be used, i thought the fates were dictating i try my hand at corn chowder. so i did. and i must say, the recipe as given was horribly, horribly bland. so i jazzed it up a bit. and then i jazzed it up some more. and some more. eventually it seemed like i had gotten it right, though i was still a tad frustrated, now by the fact that the recipe called for way too much water, thus leaving me with something way more soup-y than chowder-y, and much less fulfilling as far as i was concerned. in the end, i tried to boil some of the water off, then stirred in a teeny bit of some corn starch begrudgingly, and called it a wash.

luckily for me, i didn't eat the soup for another 1.5 hours, because we had planned to combine forces with my my lovely sister and her lovely boyfriend, thus producing a veritable feast that night. they were trying their hands at homemade, whole-wheat spinach ravioli, and it took much longer than they had anticipated. "i'm glad you guys are bringing over something so delicious," i said mournfully when s called to tell me they'd be late. i then added, perhaps a bit dramatically, "i just hope my soup is edible." hanging up the phone, i sat and read while a and i waited for them to come over. somehow, in that time, the chowder both developed its flavours andthickened, and you would never know that i had fretted over it for even a second by the way i downed it today for lunch.

the brown bread was much less of an emotional ride. i threw it together, and loved it unabashedly, eating slice after slice with my dinner. this is an amazing, easy-breezy quick bread that is sweet enough that one could add, say, cranberries into the batter and have them be right at home, but savoury enough that it would work equally well for sandwiches. it's a nice, dense (but not too heavy), flavourful, healthy loaf. take my advice and try it.



vegetable chowdwer

3 tbs buttery spread
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium yellow bell peppers, diced
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
about 1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper, depending on your taste
3 cups milk or soy milk
4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 cans kernel corn
Coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces


* in a large pot, melt "butter" over medium-low heat. add onion, bell peppers, carrots, thyme, marjarom and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
* add milk or soymilk, potatoes, and 5 cups water (according to the recipe; i would recommend no more than 3). bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, about 8-10 minutes.
* stir in corn, salt, and pepper. simmer a few more minutes.
* with a slotted spoon, transfer 3 cups of the solids to a blender; purée until smooth. Return to pot; add green beans. bring to a simmer; cook until beans are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. season again with salt.

quick brown bread

1 cup wheat bran
1/2 cup ground flax seed
2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups soy "buttermilk" (see directions below)
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

* preheat oven to 350 degrees.
* in a small bowl, pour in 2 cups of soymilk (i used vanilla because that's what i had around, but i generally prefer plain for baking. however, the vanilla worked quite well in this particular bread). remove 2 tbs of the soymilk. stir in 2tbs white vinegar. let sit for five minutes.
* combine, in a medium bowl, the bran, the flour, the salt, the baking soda, and the sugar.
* after the "buttermilk" has sat for five minutes, stir in the molasses.
* stir wet ingredients into dry. don't overmix!
* spoon the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake it for approximately 1 hr, or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. let the bread cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, invert it onto the rack, and let it cool completely. that is, if you can take the anticipation.