‘Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Cafe’

The Mushroom Treatment: Remove and discard the mushroom stems, and wipe the caps clean with a damp paper towel. Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, wait about 30 seconds, then swirl to coat the pan. Place the mushrooms cap side down in the hot oil, and let them cook undisturbed for about 10 minutes, then flip them over one more time and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more on their cap side once again. Leave them in the pan and set aside.

Core the tomato and gently squeeze out the seeds through the opening. Cut the tomato and bell pepper into very thin slices.

Preheat the broiler. While it is heating, place the mushrooms cap side down in a Pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Top each mushroom with a few spinach leaves, some slices of tomato and bell pepper, and pinches of dried thyme, salt and pepper. Take our time covering the top with grated cheese, tucking it into every crevice and cavity and trying to cover everything (including the edges of the mushrooms, so they won’t burn under the broiler).

Broil until the cheese melts and is turning golden. Watch carefully, as this will take only 5 minutes or less. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, sprinkled lightly with red peppers flakes, if desired.

The Polenta

Pour 1 3/4 cups water into a medium-sized saucepan, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place the polenta in a bowl with the cold water, and stir until it is completely moistened.

Turn heat under the boiling water down to a simmer, and spoon in the wet polenta. Stir with a wooden spoon, and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until very thick.

Turn the polenta out onto two dinner plates, spreading it into a thin circle all the way to the rims of the plates. Let it cool. It will become very firm.

The Hash

Heat the oil in a large skillet (or two smaller ones) over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt.

When the oil is very hot, add the polenta pieces in a single layer. Sauté them for a good 15 minutes, loosening and turning them about every five minutes with a metal spatula, to keep them from sticking. They will crumble somewhat, and that is desirable! (It makes a crisper result.) Don’t move the pieces any more often than every five minutes, because they need a chance to “sit with the heat” in order to achieve texture.

When the polenta is looking golden in color, move it over to one side of the pan, add a little additional oil, if it seems necessary, and add the onion, jalapeno, and chili powder. Sauté these in the side of the pan, until they become soft (8 to 10 minutes). About 5 minutes into this step, add the garlic.

Mix the vegetables and polenta pieces together in the pan, still over the heat, adding the cherry tomatoes (if desired). Cook for another 5 minutes or so, then stir in the black beans until they’re heated through. Be careful not to break the beans as you stir. The dish looks nicer if they remain whole.

Juice some of the pomegranates and seed the others, placing seeds and juice in a bowl. Stir in the pineapple and citrus sections, including all the juices. Slice and add apples, pears, and bananas just before serving, so they won’t discolor or wilt.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray 8 standard (2 ½ inch diameter ) muffin cups with non-stick spray.

Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, spices, granulated sugar, and orange zest in a medium-sized bowl. Crumble in the brow sugar and mix with a fork or your fingers until thoroughly blended.

Measure the pumpkin into a second medium-sized bowl. Add the egg, milk, vanilla, and beat with a fork or a whisk until smooth.

Slowly pour this mixture, along with the melted butter, into the dry ingredients. Using a spoon or a rubber spatula, stir from the bottom of the bowl until dry ingredients are all moistened. Don’t overmix, a few lumps are okay.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. For smaller muffins, fill the cups about 4/5ths full. For large muffins, fill them up to the top. If you have extra batter, spray one or two additional muffin cups with non-stick spray and fill with the remaining batter.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a rack to cool. Wait at least 30 minutes before serving.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray the bottom and center of a standard-sized tube pan or a Bundt pan with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, beat the butter for several minutes with an electric mixer at high speed. Add the sugar and beat for several minutes longer. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, and then beat in the vanilla.

In a second bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder, slowly mixing them together with a whisk. Combine the coffee and milk in a measuring cup with a spout.

Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in 3 installments, alternating with the coffee mixture, beginning and ending with the dry (dry-wet-dry-wet-dry). After each addition, use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir from the bottom of the bowl just enough to blend. Fold in the chocolate chips with the last addition of flour. Don’t overmix.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, spreading it evenly into place. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 30 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. Then invert it onto a plate (if used a Bundt pan) or pull out the tube and gently lift the cake off and onto a plate (if it’s in a tube pan). Cool for another 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Pour the milk into a nonstick saucepan and add everything except the honey and ground cinnamon. Place over medium heat.

Just before the milk reaches the boiling point, turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. (If a skin forms on top of the milk, just stir it back in.)

Strain the mixture into a mug and stir in honey to taste. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve hot.