A New Snack From Leftover Beer-Making

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ReGrained Smoked Sea Salt and Pepper Puffs.
ReGrained Smoked Sea Salt and Pepper Puffs.

Berkeley’s ReGrained is all about re-purposing.

Particularly when it comes to spent mash left over from beer making, that is.

UCLA fraternity brothers Dan Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz were avid home-brewers who got the idea a few years ago to take that oatmeal-like mash with a nutty, malty flavor and turn it into nutritious energy bars.

After their ReGrained bars became a hit, they tinkered with more products that would highlight the mash, high in fiber and protein, that normally would be discarded or composted by breweries.

The result is their new ReGrained Puffs, a crunchy puffed chip snack that has the airy crispiness of shrimp chips.

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The Chocolate Cake For When Times Are Uncertain and All-Purpose Flour Is MIA

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This chocolate cake may look plain, but it is a showstopper in taste and satisfaction.
This chocolate cake may look plain, but it is a showstopper in taste and satisfaction.

No doubt you’ve heard that Americans are drinking far more during this pandemic.

Me? I’m gorging on a whole lot more chocolate.

And that’s saying something since I consider the consumption of chocolate to be practically a daily requirement.

After all when the going gets tough, the tough get dark chocolate.

Thankfully, “Chocolate Cake” by renowned Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten satisfies on every level. It’s from his cookbook, “Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes” (Clarkson Potter, 2011), in which the Michelin-starred chef shares favorite casual recipes he makes for his family

First, this cake uses hardly any all-purpose flour, for those who are running low on it like me. In fact, it calls for just over 1 tablespoon of the stuff. It’s such a small amount, though, that you could probably get away with substituting any other kind of flour for it.

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Carolyn’s Never-The-Same Veggie, Bean, and Sausage Soup

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This is how I like to enjoy those now-scarce Rancho Gordo beans.
This is how I like to enjoy those now-scarce Rancho Gordo beans.

Who would have ever thought that dried beans would be as good as gold?

These are the times we are living in.

Since the shelter-in-place mandate went into effect, social media has been abuzz about how Rancho Gordo heirloom beans are in such demand now that the Napa specialty food purveyor is out of stock until May. Yes, a four-week wait.

But then again, its heirloom beans have always been highly coveted by those in the know.

I’m just thankful to still have several pounds of ’em from my order earlier last year.

What makes them so great? First, there’s the incredible variety, many of which you might be discovering for the first time, which aren’t readily available elsewhere. Second, it’s the freshness. Unlike beans that might sit on a supermarket shelf for years, Rancho Gordo’s beans turn over quickly, meaning that they are new-crop and will cook up faster and more tender. Third, they have so much flavor on their own that you don’t have to do any complicated to enjoy them.

My never-the-same soup always starts with Rancho Gordo beans, plus whatever worse-for-wear veggies lurking in my produce drawer.
My never-the-same soup always starts with Rancho Gordo beans, plus whatever worse-for-wear veggies lurking in my produce drawer.

Beans like these are hearty and satisfying, and come in so handy for making salads, stews, and dips. My favorite way to enjoy them is in soup — or in what my husband likes to call, “Carolyn’s Never-The-Same Veggie, Bean, and Sausage Soup.”

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The World’s Easiest Cookies — And That’s No April Fool’s Joke

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Yup, I made these three different cookies from one recipe that really requires only four ingredients.
Yup, I made these three different cookies from one recipe that really requires only four ingredients.

At a time when so many baking ingredients are scarce at supermarkets, come these cookies to the rescue.

They require no all-purpose flour, no eggs, no granulated sugar, and no butter.

Which means they are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free. It also means they are vegetarian, vegan, and paleo.

“The World’s Easiest Cookies” live up to their name. It’s a recipe from the cookbook, “World’s Easiest Paleo Baking: Beloved Treats Made Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free, and with No Refined Sugars” (Lake Isle Press, 2016) by Elizabeth Barbone, which I spied on the Kitchn site.

These cookies use only four ingredients: finely ground almond flour, baking powder, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

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A True Bright Spot: My “East Bay Cooks” Honored with “Golden Poppy Book Award”

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A super easy cucumber dish that uses only a handful of ingredients. It's a featured recipe by Grand Lake Kitchen in my "East Bay Cooks.'' (Photo by Carolyn Jung)
A super easy cucumber dish that uses only a handful of ingredients. It’s a featured recipe by Grand Lake Kitchen in my “East Bay Cooks.” (Photo by Carolyn Jung)

In this stressful, challenging time, I scroll social media for glimpses of good news: chefs donating food to hospital workers, folks grocery-shopping for elderly neighbors, and everyday people trying to help lighten the mood with cheery videos and haikus.

And then I spied this gem: the news last week that my cookbook, “East Bay Cooks: Signature Recipes from the Best Restaurants, Bars, and Bakeries” (Figure 1) was honored this year with a “Golden Poppy” award by the California Independent Booksellers Alliance. It recognizes “the most distinguished books written by writers and artists who make Northern California their home.”

I couldn’t be more thankful for the incredible recognition. I share it with the talented team whom I had the privilege to work with to make this book a reality: photographer Eva Kolenko, Clair Mack at Rule & Level Studio, Figure 1, and of course, all the chefs and restaurateurs who participated.

I salute you all with a virtual toast — as well as this easy, addictive recipe from the book to enjoy. After all, times like these when we limit trips to the grocery store, call for dishes that come together with few ingredients.

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