The Palatial Palate

Vegan Fantasy Fudge

2010-12-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

Growing up, my mom made the most delicious fudge. In fact, it was one of the few chocolate things I can remember that I actually liked, but it had to be my mom's. Other fudge I found distasteful at best. Crumbly, grainy fudge just doesn't do it for me. Little did I know, however, that the fudge wasn't exactly her recipe. Like many of the dishes I associate with my mom, this one came from the back of a jar--the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar to be exact.

So, this year, I set about to duplicate that fudge without the grossness that is gelatin. The recent explosion of vegan marshmallow options promised to make that fairly east and, indeed, it was. The fudge turned out good. Not as smooth as I rememeber it, perhaps, but still really good. I'm pretty sure Eames lived off nothing but fudge for 3 days and had a keen eye for the container we kept it in, sneaking his little hands in whenever he got a chance.

Vegan Fantasy Fudge (based on the original Kraft recipe)

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup Earth Balance or vegan margarine

2/3 cup coconut milk

1 12 oz. bag Ghiradelli's semi-sweet chocolate chips (the gold bag is vegan)

1 10 oz. bag of Dandies vegan marshmallows

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 t vanilla extract

In a medium cast iron (or any other heavy) pot, combine sugar, EB, and coconut milk. Over medium-high heat, being to a full rolling boil. Stir constantly! Once it's reached a full boil, continue to boil for 5 minutes. Stir constantly! After 5 minutes, remove from heat and immediately stir in marshmallows and choclate chips. It really helps if you use an electric beater. I had to put it back on the heat for a minute to get everything to melt, but with electricity you should be fine. Once the marshmallows and chocolate chips are melted, add nuts and vanilla. Pour into a greased lasagna pan, taking care not to scrape to the bottom or sides of the fudge out of the pan--let a toddler with a mean sugar tooth eat that off a spoon--so you don't get any grainyness.

Let cool at room temp for several hours, then use a sharp knife to cut into bite-sized pieces.

Mofo 2010: Walnut Tempeh Scramble

2010-11-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

See, I love breakfast. I'll eat it for any meal and I'd much rather go out for breakfast than dinner. When I was still in California, we went to breakfast as a family every Sunday and it's a tradition I dearly miss. The problem is that going out for breakfast as a vegan isn't always the easiest undertaking.Of course, I miss my family most of all, but I also miss going out for breakfast in general. The problem is that, as a vegan, it isn't always the easiest undertaking. Even in the Boulder area, offering tofu as a replacement option for eggs is rare. But, there is one place that has a couple of vegan choices--and one is more than worth seeking out.

Honestly, the title of this post is a little misleading, since there are no actual walnuts involved in the making of this scramble. Instead, it's my version of the Walnut Cafe Tempeh Scramble. While I love going to Walnut Cafe, it's often very crowded and, with Eames eating as much as I do these days, it's gotten somewhat pricey for us to go there regularly (and don't even get me started on whether or not they actually have vegan sausage--it changes from month to month). So, for endless seconds and guaranteed vegan sausage, I make it at home with my own expanding family.

Walnut Tempeh Scramble

Olive oil
1 T tamari
4 medium potatoes, small dice
1 package tempeh, diced
1 green bell pepper, small dice
1 onion, small dice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package Gimmelean, crumbled
1 1/2 t smoked paprika
1 t thyme
1 t Spike seasoning
3 T water
salt and pepper to taste

In one medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add tamari, then potatoes and tempeh. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. While those are cooking, mix seasoning and water in a very small bowl. When potatoes are semi-cooked and tempeh is browned, add in seasoning and water. Stir and cover.

At the same time, heat oil over medium high heat and add Gimmelean, onion, and bell pepper. Cook stirring occasionally, about 5-6 minutes. Then add garlic and cook until the Gimmlean is browned and onion/bell pepper is softened.

Once the potatoes are soft, add Gimmlean/onion/bell mixture to potatoes and stir well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with Daiya, Cholula, and serve hot.

Makes about 4 good sized portions.

Mofo 2010: Cuban Black Beans

2010-11-07T16:41:00.002-07:00

I can't believe we're already a week in Vegan Mofo and I haven't gotten one post up. Sigh. Between making actual progress on my dissertation, grading, and the destructive force of a particular 23 pound toddler, I simply haven't made time for posting (nor have I for weeks, as is obvious from the date of the last post. The good news, however, is that I've taken pictures of a few dishes and they will be posted soon.

The first is my neighbor's Cuban Black Beans. These have become a staple around this house, since all 3 of us LOVE them. In fact, to see just how popular they are, you can read all about Eames's bean butt over at the other blog (Sorry if you came here for more civilized conversation).

Cuban Black Beans (served here with chili-roasted sweet potatoes and TJ's cornbread)

1 lb. dried black beans, sorted and soaked overnight

Rinse soaked black beans and cover with 1 inch of water in either a crockpot or regular pot. Add the following to the uncooked beans:

1 can diced tomatoes
1 t oregano
1/2 t cumin
1 bay leaf

If cooking in the slowcooker, cook on high for about five and a half hours. If cooking on the stovetop, do the norm: Bring water and beans to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. When beans are al dente, add the following ingredients to the beans:

The Sofrito: Make this while the beans are cooking so it's ready to go in when they're done. You want to cook this as long as possible over medium heat to bring out the flavor. In other words, cook them to within an inch of their lives, but don't brown them if possible.

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, small dice
1 bell pepper, small dice
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

After the sofrito, add the following (adjust to your taste):
2-3 T red wine vinegar
2-3 t salt
fresh ground pepper

Let the beans cook for another 30-40 to really let the flavor meld. The beans should still be in tact, but they should also be really soft. Taste again for vinegar (which will mellow). For a traditional take on the dish, serve over rice (I prefer brown). A dollop of cashew sour cream, some cilantro, and a slice of lime finish the dish perfectly.

Fried Green Tomato BLT

2010-08-23T14:11:00.004-06:00

I had fried green tomatoes one time. I was in New Orleans and newly vegan and I was meeting a group of people at a restaurant that had exactly one vegetarian thing on the menu (but, happily, there was plenty of vegan food elsewhere on the trip). I knew that it probably wasn't vegan, but I decided ignorance was bliss and ordered the fried green tomatoes. I may have been a bad vegan, but it was indeed bliss. I've been thinking about them ever since.

So, when I spied green tomatoes at our CSA's farm stand, I knew it was time to make some. Then, when we walked by a restaurant in Fort Collins serving a fried green tomato BLT, I thought it might be my destiny. That sounded a lot like my food soulmate. The only problem: I just started a diet. And, I'm pretty sure that fried green tomatoes and sandwiches loaded with vegenaise are not on the Body for Life plan. So, I waited until my free day.

And by was it worth the wait. It was also so filling that my free day consisted of a bagel sandwich for breakfast, the BLT, and a teensy-tiny amount of panang curry for dinner--so full was I from that sandwich. I can't wait to have them again.

That fried stuff in the foreground? Deep fried avocado slices.

The Fried Green Tomatoes

3 Large Green Tomatoes, sliced about 1/2 an inch thick
1 1/2 c soy milk
1 1/2 t apple cider vinegar
1 c flour
1/2 c corn meal
2 t garlic powder
1 t salt
Peanut oil for frying

Lay tomatoes in a colander and sprinkle with salt. let sweat for about 30 minutes while you prepare everything else. Whisk together soy milk and vinegar. Set aside to curdle. Combine the corn meal, flour garlic powder, and salt in a long shallow container. Mix well. Whisk in soy milk mixture to your desired consistency.

Fill a frying pan about 1/2 inch deep with peanut oil and heat over medium high heat. While the oil is heating up, gently pat dry the tomatoes with a paper towel, getting them as dry as possible. Test the oil by dropping a small amount of better in the oil. It should sizzle and begin to turn brown. Coat 3 slices of tomato in the batter and drop into oil. Flip when the bottom half is a nice caramel brown color and cook until both sides are that color. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel-covered plate. Continue with all the tomato slices.

A note: This is way too much batter for 3 tomatoes, but I didn't want to worry about running out of batter or having to scrape it together. Plus, I didn't want to do the math, but I think you'd have just enough if you cut the batter recipe in half. Or you could fry whatever you have lying around, which is what I did with that avocado.

Also: This batter was great. It had nice crunch. It stuck and stayed together well--no eggs necessary. And could be used on any number of things, like zucchini.

The Sandwich

2 pieces of soft sandwich bread (I used light rye)
Vegenaise
3 fried green tomatoes
3 slices of tempeh bacon
3 leaves romaine, chopped
2 slices of tomato

I'm sure you can figure this part out.

Lemony Mint Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms

2010-08-03T13:14:00.006-06:00

Besides enjoying a few hours with friends, there are two definite advantages to spending time Saturday night and Sunday morning preparing a big brunch: 1) the house, or at least the main floor, gets cleaned, and 2) there are lots of leftovers that provide a variety of lunches and dinner for a good part of the week. So, after making brunch again this Sunday (which consisted of a breakfast burrito bar), the last thing I wanted or needed to do last night was make dinner.

That, of course, was until Josh brought home the CSA haul and sitting right on top was a round bag o' squash blossoms. Which I had been hoping for. But have to be used the same day because they wilt hella quick. Sigh.

So, after trying to talk myself out of cooking, I gave in and started thinking about what I wanted to stuff the blossoms with. I even thought of doing quesadillas, but the consensus seems to be that you can't really taste the blossoms in quesadilla form and I thought that a plain vegan cheese quesadilla sounded less than appetizing. Stuffing them seemed the way to go (especially since I'm cooking solely out of the pantry this week), so I threw together a kitchen sink/CSA tofu ricotta and fried 'em up. They definitely needed a dipping sauce of some kind, but they turned out pretty good.

I would definitely make these for a dinner party, especially if I was already using the fryer for vegan cream cheese wontons. They are, above all else, a little exotic and a whole lot impressive to behold.

20 squash blossoms (you can do less but you'll have extra filling)

Lemony Mint Ricotta Filling
1 lb. extra firm tofu
1/3 cup tofutti cream cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 read onion, finely diced
4-5 sprigs mint, chiffonaded
4-5 springs basil, chiffonaded
Zest of 1/3 lemon
Juice of 1/3 lemon
Coarse ground salt and pepper to taste

The Batter
1 cup AP flour
1 cup club soda
1/2 t salt

In a small saute pan, saute garlic and red onion in a bit of olive oil on medium heat. Cook until the red onion in soft and beginning to carmelize. Meanwhile, drain tofu, squeezing as much of the water as possible out of it. Crumble into a bowl and keep massaging it until it resembles the texture of, well, ricotta. Add cream cheese and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Add fresh ground salt and pepper until you get the desired flavor. Put filling a gallon size ziploc bag and push it all toward one bottom corner.

I used a deep fryer, so, at this point, I filled the fryer to the maximum line with canola oil and heated it to 375 degrees.

Next, you need to prep the blossoms, which basically involves removing the stamen. Many sites say you need to use a knife or cut the blossom open, but it's easy to get out while leaving the flower *ahem* intact. Just gently pull the petals apart, stick you finger into the blossom, and press the stamen to the side of the petal (believe me, I tried to make this as non-sexual as possible as I was writing it--it's a challenge). If they're fresh it should break off easily, then you can shake the stamen out. You may need to use you nail, but it should break off easily. I did all of them this way without any mishaps.

Once the blossoms are ready, cut half an inch off the corner of the filling bag. Hold hte flower in one hand, using your fingers to pull back the petals, and squeeze a couple tablespoons of filling into each flower. Twist them closed gently. They won't stay closed but they don't need to. Just make sure it's not overflowing with ricotta.

Lemony Mint Tofu Ricotta Filling

Next, you have to fry them. The blossoms are delicate, so I went with the deep fryer--which had it's challenges. Because they're battered, the first two blossoms stuck to the frying basket. So, with the frying basket lowered into the oil, I would dredge a blossom, covering it at least 3/4 with batter (which is thick), and drop it into the oil. Give it a couple seconds, then gently nudge it around with tongs to make sure it didn't stick to the basket. Then I'd add another dredged blossom. I only did two at a time, frying until they were a golden brown color. After the first couple, they came out fine. But, if you're doing this for the first time, I'd plan on making more then you need.

Refried Beans

2010-07-26T14:31:00.007-06:00

Let me put this bluntly: I love refried beans. And, while I don't mind using canned ones for adding to burritos and whatnot, I would never eat them straight. Canned refrieds just don't cut it. After hearing a lot of buzz here and there on the internets, I decided to try this recipe, which has gotten stellar reviews (5 stars with 708 people reviewing the recipe). Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I thought they lacked flavor and it wasn't for lack of salt (which, strangely, the recipe calls for before the beans are cooked...I'm guessing that's why they take so long). So, I set about trying to combine this recipe with mine and the results were pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.
"Fat-ish" Refried Beans

1 pound of pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
3 cups of veggie broth
Water
1 onion, quartered
1 California bay leaf
1 piece of kombu
1 t cumin
1 t garlic powder
Fresh ground pepper (to taste)
3 t salt (more or less, to taste)
1/3 cup of oil (I've used olive and canola and liked them both)

In a large bowl (I use the insert to my slowcooker), cover pinto beans with serveral inches of water and let soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans and rinse them. Put them in a slowcooker, add the veggie broth and cover the rest of the way with an inch of water (You can also use all veggie broth or water). Add all the ingredients, except the salt, pepper, and oil. Cook on high for 5 1/2 to 6 hours. Using a ladle remove as much liquid as you can (just try to get the liquid level below the beans) and set the liquid aside. Add oil and salt, and cook for 15 more minutes. Using a hand blender (or mash them with a fork or potato masher), puree the beans, adding the reserved liquid as needed to achieve the desired consistency. I usually like them thinner as a side dish and thicker for the filling of burritos.

Refried beans freeze wonderfully. Just add a little bit of veggie broth as you reheat them, since they will thicken up in the freezer.

Spicy Chickpea Puree

2010-07-26T14:19:00.010-06:00

While Aspen was here, I made a lot of beans, since she seems to like them and every meal was hit and miss on whether she'd actually eat it. This Spicy Chickpea Puree was a great big fail with Aspen (she likes beans, she likes hummus, but the chickpea puree is a fail? Teenagers.). BUT, it was an unqualified success with the adults and toddlers in the house. It may only be a slightly dressed up version of hummus, but there's something about this meal that felt fresh. On another note, the chickpea puree is spread on a loaf of bread that I baked that day--the practice loaf out of My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method. Due to a small error on my part, it came out slightly dry/tough, but the flavor was incredible and it was one of the easiest loaves I've ever made.

What Do Vegan Toddlers Eat?: Day Two

2010-07-07T12:34:00.009-06:00

Breakfast
1 brown rice sausage breakfast patty
1 banana pancake
Note: This is a lot of tan food. He actually only ate the pancake and then ate half a banana. He ate the sausage for a snack. The sausage is my attempt at replicating the deliciousness they serve at Vertical Diner: Gimme Lean, brown rice, oil, maple syrup, thyme, and cayenne all mixed together and lightly pan fried.
Snack
1/2 banana
A handful of green grapes

Lunch
1/2 cuban black bean burrito
Note: Eames finished what Aspen didn't eat. I made 2 pounds (!!!!) of cuban black beans last week and finally finished the last them in burritos yesterday. Cuban black beans and rice is one of the cheapest, most delicious meals ever.

Snack
Strawberries, nuts, blueberries, and some plantain chips
Note: On some afternoons, Eames goes next door so I can try to get some writing done. He usually eats a big pile of fruit while he's there and this is what he had left in front of him when I went to pick him up.

Dinner
1/2 Daiya quesadilla with avocado and tomato
Note: This is a standby for me. Since Daiya hit the market, I've been making quesadillas for him--mostly, because I can. I make them with spelt tortillas and try to serve it with a deconstructed salsa. One that he can feed himself. Eames loves this dish.

Liquid
Water
Green banana soymilk
Note: Spinach makes the banana soy milk green. He goes back and forth on this. Sometimes he slurps it down and other times he won't touch it. I think it depends on how strong the spinach tastes. Occasionally, it's pretty strong no matter how much I put in. On another note, Eames has taken to drinking my coffee, but I'm not going to put that on here. Bad mommy.

And, when the fruit is gone, the bowl makes a spectacular hat. The aliens can't penetrate his mind this way.

What do Vegan Toddlers Eat?: Day One

2010-06-27T18:03:00.009-06:00

For a couple of reasons, I thought I'd take the time to document what Eames eats--if only to see if he eats as much as it seems like most days (though where it goes is still a great mystery). I took these picture hastily, because Eames loses his sunny disposition when there's food to be had and it's not sitting in front of him. He ate all the food pictured here. The oatmeal turned into second breakfast, because, like his mother, no other food can compete with a jalapeno bagel.
Breakfast and Second Breakfast
Pre-breakfast snack (via Josh): 1/2 banana
1/2 cup 7 grain oatmeal soaked in plain coconut milk yogurt
1/4 jalapeno bagel with tofutti cream cheese, cuke, tomato, and avocado

Note: I soaked Bob's 7 grain hot cereal mix in coconut milk yogurt overnight. I serve it with blueberries and topped with ground flax. The bagel is the same breakfast I have every morning. It is sprinkled with salt, pepper, and nooch.
Lunch
1 piece of rye, toasted
1/4 cup diced cucumber smashed with 1/4 avocado
10 green grapes
2 raw coconut rhubarb cookies

Note: This avocado smash has been a huge hit around here for a while. I mix in a little apple cider vinegar and top it with salt, pepper, and nooch. The cookies I made for the first time recently. Eames--and the rest of us--loves them, but he feels compelled to pick the coconut off the top first.
Dinner
5 organic tortilla chips
small bowl of refried beans w/ calabacitas

Note: Eames only ate about half of this, because I tried to feed him too close to bed time. But, he likes it a lot--mostly because it's mixed with refried beans.
Liquids
12 ounces water
4 ounces iced green tea

Note: On top of this liquid, he nurses once when he's going to bed and once (or twice) in the middle of the night. He also takes a liquid multi-vitamin.

Nachos with Braised Greens

2010-06-11T21:17:00.004-06:00

1 pile of tortilla chips
1 bunch braised greens, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
10 mini bells, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 package soyrizo
Daiya (as much as you'd like)
Guacamole (to top)
Oil for sauteeing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. on an oven proof plate, pile as many chips as you'd like (this pile fed two of us--one of whom eats a lot). Heat pan over medium high heat. Add onion. Cook for a few minutes, then add garlic and bells. Stir frequently so garlic doesn't burn. When bells have softened some, add braised greens. Cover with lid until greens wilt. Take pan off heat and stir in soyrizo. Set aside. Sprinkle with Daiya. Put chips in oven and cook until Daiya melts--just a couple of minutes. Remove from oven and cover with braised green mixture, top with guacamole, and add a few dashes of Cholula. Enjoy immediately.

Holly Hobbie Broccoli Casserole

2010-03-08T19:42:00.010-07:00

When I was young, I thought my aunt was a modern day Betty Crocker (though, for some reason, I called her Holly Hobbie which must have represented the kind of Little House on the Prairie homey-ness that I associated with Jo). Don't get me wrong, though: my mom cooked and her cooking inspires mine still. But, my aunt was a whole different beast. To me, she was always happy and wanted to hug me and, significantly, agreed that I was unfairly persecuted by my parents (who, as the Fresh Prince pointed out) just didn't understand. Plus, she cooked. And baked. While my mom made stuffed eggplant, spaghetti squash with marinara, and quiches, my aunt made casseroles. And that, to me, was the epitome of mom-ness.

For instance, my mom hoped and wished and prayed that I would finally stop believing in Santa*, but my aunt collected Santas by the dozens--so much so that I now often say that it looks like Christmas threw up at her house--and made the same, very special casserole every holiday: broccoli casserole. Her broccoli casserole was basically a brick of mayo, cream of mushroom, fistfuls of cheddar, eggs, and broccoli--topped with cheez-its.

Vegan translation: dairy, dairy, fat, fat, and more dairy--topped with baked artificialish dairy.

For years now, I've toyed with the idea of veganizing it and sniffed around her casserole at the holidays trying to figure out how to replace every ingredient in the dish. I originally though it'd be nice to make a version that doesn't rely on vegan cheese, and the first version attempted that. It turned out like a bland, pressed, baked tofu scramble. Not even close. The second attempt produced the right consistency, but tasted like broccoli in cream sauce cornstarched into rectangular submission. As they say, the third time's the charm, and I figured out a recipe that uses some analogs--like cheese and vegenaise--but has a cheesy, sophisticated depth of flavor. Only the casserole didn't last long enough to get a picture. So, I made another and got these pictures you see here. I meant to blog about it immediately, but never got around to it and, when I went to make it again, the various scribbled on junk mail envelopes and post-its had scattered around the house in the hands of a 10 month old tornado. I managed to scrounge them all up--except the last version that I had liked so much.

So, I pieced together this recipe and it's damn close. But, I did ad-lib a little as I went, so I can't vouch %100 for the measurements. I will make this one more time soon and get the recipe nailed down. In the meantime, this recipe should satisfy and get you close to the memories I have of that dairy-laden goodness.

I'm looking forward to having broccoli casserole this coming Thanksgiving and, frankly, this casserole makes me feel like a better mom. The kind who bakes casserole and crazy healthy food.

Fresh out of the oven.

Holly Hobbie Broccoli Casserole

2 stalks broccoli
1 cup Vegenaise
1 cup blended extra firm silken tofu
1 cup shredded vegan cheese
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 T lemon juice
2 t onion powder
1 1/2 t prepared mustard
1 1/2 t salt
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t smoked paprika (heaping)
1/2 t tumeric
1/3 cup cheesy-type cracker, crushed. I used these, but VeganEssentials and Cosmo's both have a cheese cracker that works well.

Wash broccoli and cut the stalk into 1-2 inch pieces. Put in food processor and pulse and until they are coarsely chopped. Do the same for the florets. Steam chopped broccoli until stalks are softened.

While broccoli is steaming, mix the rest of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. When broccoli is finished steaming, add to the mixture. Mix thoroughly and spread in a medium sized pan (I use a Copco enameled cast iron baker that's not quite lasagna size). Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. 3-5 minutes before the casserole is done cooking, top with crushed crackers.

Let casserole sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Served the next day when it sets up a bit better.

*I did. Eventually. Other kids told me for years that he didn't exist, but I just shook my head solemnly thinking "boy, these kids are stupid" and told them they were wrong. Sometime around the age of 11, I finally gave had to admit it and give up the dream.

Vegan Baby Food: Chard and Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells

2010-03-08T11:06:00.009-07:00

At first, I was really careful about what I was giving Eames and when. I read tons of conflicting advice about when to give him tofu, wheat, and other potentially allergy-inducing foods. I introduced one food at a time--for a while. Around 9 months, though, with no reaction of any kind to any food and no history of allergies in the family, I threw in the towel and starting throwing all kinds of new foods at him, particularly stuff that I was making for us to eat.

First, he had my burrito/taco filling and loved it, which is good since I rely on that as my go to easy meal--much like my mom used to. For the following three days, he had a small bowl of burrito filling for either lunch or dinner. Then, I made stuffed shells for dinner. Since I made the ricotta out of tofu instead of nuts, I figured he could have some. Lo and behold, he ate an entire shell on his own AND did a happy dance, which is a big thumbs up.

(Sorry for the blurry shot of the food. It doesn't really look great smooshed for baby consumption anyway...)

Chard and Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells

Tofu Ricotta

1 lb. Extra firm tofu
1/3 cup shredded vegan cheese (one of the white varieties)
1/4 cup nooch
1 T dried basil
2 t dried marjoram
2 t dried oregano
1 T olive oil
1 t salt (or to taste)
dash of lemon juice (a teaspoon or two, I'd guess)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, cleaned and chopped

1 box shells, al dente
Marinara (you can use a jar, but I used some that I made at the end of summer and froze)

Crumble tofu into a medium sized bowl and break up with hands until it looks like cottage cheese. Add the rest of the ingredients through lemon juice. Set aside. Saute garlic and shallots over medium heat until both begin to turn a golden color. Add chard to pan, tossing to coat the chard with oil. Put on lid and leav for 2-3 minutes, until chard wilts. Remove from heat and add chard mixture to tofu mixture. Mix well.

Coat the bottom of a lasagna pan with a thin layer of marinara. Fill each shell with a spoonful of tofu mixture. Line up filled shells in the bottom of the pan. They can overlap slightly. Fill as many shells as you can (you'll probably have a few left). Cover filled shells with marinara. you want to make sure that the sauce covers it well and that non of the pasta shells remain uncovered or the exposed pieces will dry out in the oven. Bake at 350 until the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Remove, let cool, and serve with garlic bread and a nice salad.

I removed 5-6 shells for Eames to enjoy for the next few days.
Serving size for 10 month old= 1 stuffed shell

Native Foods: The OC Edition

2010-02-22T22:07:00.002-07:00

This Can't Be Tofu!

2010-02-05T13:00:00.006-07:00

Well, actually, yes it can.

I picked up Deborah Madison's This Can't Be Tofu! at a thrift store for 2 bucks. I intended on giving it to a friend who can't fathom or figure out tofu, but I wanted to try a few recipes first to make sure it fits her taste and will work for a non-vegan, non-tofu type person. Thus far, I like everything I've tried, but only one recipe really hides the characteristic bland, squishy tofuiness that most people dislike.

1. "Coconut-Red Curry Soup with Butternut Squash and Lime"
Josh loved this soup. I liked it a lot, but you have to be in the mood for something tropical. It calls for the zest and juice from one large lime, so it's definitely citrusy and the cocnut makes it filling. Like the next soup, this calls for diced silken tofu to be added at the end and just warmed through--like miso soup. So, yes, it is tofu and it's exactly what people expect of tofu, but it was a good soup.

2. "Clear Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Silken Tofu, and Mustard Greens"
I love love love this soup. Again, diced silken tofu isn't that exciting, but mustard greens always make me happy. They are probably my favorite greens by far and I love greens in general--we have some version nearly every night. But, the real star here is the broth. It's basically stock cooked with garlic, ginger, cilantro, and garlic, which is then strained. It's a delicate and lovely broth. One I'll keep coming back to.

3. "Green 'Chorizo'"
Shown here in a quesadilla, this green "chorizo" is made of tofu, swiss chard, cilantro, and parsley. Aside from being slightly too vinegary for my taste, this chorizo is actually pretty good and is the most innovative uses of tofu I've tried so far in this cookbook. It is definitely better after it sits for a night or two and the texture is remarkably meat-like (I think because I left the stems on the chard).

Overall, I like the recipes so far, but I'm not sure This Can't Be Tofu! is going to convert anyone who's skeptical about tofu or displeased with the texture.

Squashapalooza

2009-11-01T22:01:00.004-07:00

Last year, around this time, I went in on a wagon full of squash with my neighbor. Unfotunately, I didn't get to actually experience picking out the squash (she went without me) and I didn't have any idea what to do so much squash. I roasted and pureed quite a bit of it, but I also ended up composting a lot of it because I just couldn't get motivated to do the work.

However, since then, I've been dreaming of sqaush and looking forward to trying it again this year. So, with dreams of building a root cellar dancing in my head, I counted down the days until the end of the local farm season. My dreams were nearly dashed by an early snow storm that dropped 20 inches on us in the middle of October, but the good folks at Munson Farm knew the storm was coming, harvested as much squash as possible, and saved it from the freeze. So, Saturday Kathy and I headed down there to collect some squash. While we didn't get quite the deal we got last year(they, understandably had less squash to work with this year), we still managed to get a loaded up wagon full for $99. How big was the wagon? Huge. We ended up with 35 squash each: cinderella pumpkin, lumina, white pumpkin, delicata, buttercup, acorn, spaghetti, butternut, blue pumpkin, banana squash, carnival squash, cheese pumpkin, musquee de provence pumpkin, and a few French heirloom varieties (like a pink one with warts) whose names I can't recall.
I worried about the ability of my little Saturn to get all that squash home (we were riding low), but we made it and I managed to move them from the trunk to the floor of my garage (I cut the piles of bicycles out of the picture above) while I prepare the pantry.

So, stay tuned for all kinds of squash in all kinds of ways.

Pumpkin Penne

2009-10-28T23:00:00.007-06:00

When I found out I was pregnant, Josh's mom gifted us with a subscription to Parents magazine. If you know anything about this publication, then you know that we aren't exactly their target demographic. It's a mainstream magazine with fairly traditional politics and articles that explain why you should be careful because that frozen meal isn't as healthy as the packaging claims. Ahem.

That said, every month I feel compelled to read it. Often they have cute ideas for craft projects and sometimes creative ways of styling food for kid's parties or packed lunches. Recently, there was a really interesting excerpt on introducing solids that focused on veggies and a much quicker introduction schedule--a technique that's supposed to instill a love of veggies. Anyway, in the same issue, they had a quick weeknight dinner recipe: pumpkin penne. Josh immediately expressed an interest in it, so, after a long day of writing, I went about veganizing it. It turned out pretty good and, along with some cranberry sauce that's been in our freezer since last T-day, it made for a nice early thanksgiving-type meal.
Pumpkin Penne
Adapted from Parents Magazine

1 lb. Penne
1 T coconut oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 cup soy milk
1 heaping T. cornstarch
1 can pumpkin puree
1/4 heaping cup of nutritional yeast
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t cayenne
1/8 t ginger
1/2 t salt
1/2 t fresh coarse-ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook penne according to package directions. Heat oil in sauce pan, add shallots, and saute until they are just starting to turn brown. While cooking the shallots, whisk together cornstarch and soy milk. Once shallots are done, add soy milk mixture, veggie broth, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Add spices and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (or do so individually). Pour over penne. Mix in flat-leaf parsley and serve.

Vegan Babies Love...

2009-10-22T00:56:00.003-06:00

...Sweet Potatoes

...Pumpkin

...and Kale!

Chickpea Noodle Soup with Heels of Rye

2009-10-16T09:57:00.005-06:00

I was always one of those people who could honestly and rightfully say that I very rarely get sick, but such boasting now seems to be very much a thing of the past. Since I discovered I was pregnant just over a year or so ago, I've been sick four or five times. Between that and the gestational diabetes and the recurring mastitis, I'm pretty sure this kid is trying to kill me (I knew the resemblance to Hitchcock must be some kind of omen).

The good news is that an early freeze has made soup seem perfect. I love soup and living in a place where there are actually seasons makes soup all the more pleasing. So, when I came down with the crud a week or two after the boys did, I knew that chicken noodle soup was in order. I'm sure that this recipe is just an amalgamation of others out there; in fact, I remember seeing Happy Herbivore use chickpeas in one she made last year or so, and Isa also has them in her recipe. But, I threw this together quickly (adding everything that I vaguely remember hearing has healing properties) and thought it turned out good enough to post. Also, a word of warning: I'm not sure why (probably the boatloads of pepper), but this soup immediately made me break out in a sweat and my fever broke later that night. So, I guess that's good?
Chickpea Noodle Soup
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced
1 large stalk of celery, sliced
5 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
6 cups water
2 T Better than Bouillon No Chicken
1 piece of kombu
1 bay leaf
1 T white miso
1 T dried parsley (though I'd use fresh if you've got it)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8 oz pasta, slightly undercooked
Lots of fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

Saute onion, celery, and carrots in a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat until the onions start to turn translucent. Add garlic and saute for a minute more. Add water and bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and add bouillon, kombu, bay leaf, and miso. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add chickpeas and pasta. Cook for 5-10 more minutes, then add parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve with homemade rye bread (thanks Peter Reinhardt!).

Weeknight Mulligatawny

2009-10-08T21:49:00.003-06:00

Last week, the temperatures here were beginning to drop (and rise and drop...) and I was in the mood for soup. I love soup. Almost any kind. But, mulligatawny is one of my favorites and, for some reason, people have come to associate it with me. After a long-ish day of prepping and teaching and performing teacherly tasks, I was hungry and looking to eat in as little time as possible. So, I through together this quick version of mulligatawny out of the items we happened to have left in the fridge in the days leading up to payday.
Speedy Quick Mulligatawny
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
1 T flour
1 T curry
1 t crushed red pepper
1 t salt
2 T tomato paste
1/3 cup mango chutney
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drains
1 bunch of beet greens, rinsed and chopped

In a small amount of oil, saute onion, carrot, and celery over medium high heat until onions are translucent. Add flour and spices and cook for 1 more minute. Add broth, tomato paste, and chutney. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add beans and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn off heat and add beet greens. Serve with fresh ground pepper and some nooch. And, if you have it, some fresh cilantro is nice.

The Rebellion: Vegan Pizza in South Denver

2009-09-18T10:53:00.005-06:00

Last week, we made a trip down to Denver to pick up a newly refinished record cabinet. What started out as a quick trip to get the furniture turned into a group of us trying out a new pizza place I discovered online, getting the cabinet, shopping at the fanciest Goodwill I've ever seen, a stop at the punk rock flea market, and hanging out at Suburban Home Records to celebrate their 14th anniversary (check out the Drunk Dial hotline). It was a lovely day and it was made all the more lovely by the discovery of decent vegan pizza in the Denver area (City O' City just isn't my speed).

We ordered an extra large Hawaiian pizza, onion rings, and bread sticks for around $22. The Hawaiian pizza had wonderful sauce, FYH cheese, Yves Canadian Bacon, and pineapple. The crust was perfect, neither thick nor thin, and they put on just the right amount of cheese. I've often found the cheese to be the deal breaker in vegan pizza. Either there's too much and it acquires a weird consistency or there's too little and and you might as well just throw some veggies on top of a piece of bread. But, not at The Rebellion:
Plus, you have to love a storefront that looks like the van from the A Team:
And, on top of all that, we have our own special parking:
It's like a little slice of vegan heaven in the midst of South Denver. Unfortunately, it's take-out only right now, so unless you live in the neighborhood, you have to find somewhere else to eat. but, there just so happens to be a park around the corner and several lovely thrift stores and mid-century modern consignment stores down the street. I might have found my favorite 6 block area in Denver.

Taco Salad: Comfort Food in a Bowl

2009-09-07T23:06:00.003-06:00

One of the most comforting meals that I grew up with is taco salad. Now, admittedly, it had a far racier (ahem) name when I was growing up, but I blame it on the lack of political correctness that defined much of the late 70's and 80's. Despite such a questionable history, though, when burritos weren't on the menu--a rarity indeed--taco salad was. In hindsight, I recognize that this salad is just a deconstructed, dressed-up version of the burritos my mom so frequently served, but there's something about Fritos that changes this dish into something spectacular. My mom served her burrito filling over Fritos and topped it with iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Mine is served on top of a bed of chopped Romaine hearts, a layer of Fritos, and topped with chipotle ranch and cilantro (and, usually, fresh diced tomatoes). Josh texted me the other day when he took leftovers to say that he thinks this might be his favorite food ever.

I concur.

Taco Salad Filling
1 block of tempeh (crumbled in the food processor)
1/2 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 small zucchini, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-ish cups of water
1 heaping tbsp. chili powder (I sometimes add more depending on the strength of the chili powder)
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1/2 tsp. hot paprika
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 can of refried beans

In a small bowl, mix together spices. Set aside. Next, in a soup pan or large skillet, saute onion, pepper, and zucchini in a little bit of oil over medium high heat until onion turns translucent and all the veggies are beginning to brown. Add tempeh and saute until it too browns a little. Add spices and saute for a minute more, then add water and scrape any cooked on spices off the bottom of the pan. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add tomatoes and corn. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken and the water is mostly cooked off. Stir in refried beans and heat through.

Serve over romaine and Fritos and top with whatever you like. This is particularly good with chipotle ranch, but salsa and guacamole are delicious toppers to.

660 Curries: Sweet and Sour Chickpeas

2009-09-03T22:10:00.004-06:00

To say that we have a lot of cookbooks is an understatement. Granted, I think we're still at the point where the majority of them are ones that Josh brought into the relationship, but I've quickly added to the collection (not at all unlike the kitchen appliance situation around here, but that's another story...) and it's now on the verge of outgrowing the full-size bookshelf that is designated as the cooking shelf. I get excited about every new cookbook, but rarely do I get as excited as I am about the latest addition to the collection: 660 Curries. Rhaghavan Iyer explains the history of curries, dispels misconceptions, spells out the main components of curries, and tells a little story or background to go with each of the recipes. It's a huge tome, with over half it's length dedicated to vegetable and legume curries. It's also a truly engaging book, one I've already found myself sitting down to read with a cup of coffee. And, in these dicey economic times, it's nice to have so many recipes at my fingertips that rely on such cheap and delicious ingredients. Case in point: Sweet and Sour Chickpeas. not only did this recipe make use of a pantry ingredient that I've had and not used for too long (tamarind concentrate), but I had every ingredient in my cupboards. The layers of flavors were divine and the spicy cardamom flavor of this curry went really well with the box of TJ's corn bread that's been sitting in my pantry for too long. I'm really, really looking forward to exploring a couple hundred more curries. At least.

Watercourse Awesomeness

2009-08-30T10:43:00.006-06:00

Every trip to Denver includes a trip to Watercourse. So, between having people out who want to see the baby, Josh's trip tp Minneapolis, and the Denver modernism show, I've been o both Denver and Watercourse pretty regularly as of late. Most people rave about their desserts, which I honestly think are just ok. However, their house-made seitan, cornmeal crusted onion rings, and plentiful breakfast offering do excite me. having so many vegan options, I try to try somehting new every time I'm there. Last time, I tried the Amsterdam Hash and, I have to admit, I have a new favorite breakfast. I don't generally like gravy but the scrambled tofu with grilled veggies smothered in gravy and served with a veggie flecked biscuit is divine. I highly recommend getting to Watercourse early. Saturdays tend to be packed with a 30-45 minute wait, but we showed up just after 8:00 and apparently beat the hung-over crowds.

Amsterdam Hash

Aspen modeling withe the refreshing Rosie Palmer (hibiscus tea and lemonade)

Pesto Lasagna Pinwheels

2009-08-17T15:18:00.000-06:00

For Aspen's first night in town, I decided to make something I knew she would like, which basically means I had to pick something carbalicious. I also knew that it should somehow involve squash so our kitchen and fridge doesn't get overrun by it. In addition to boatloads of squash, however, our basil is going crazy in the backyard. The back of our house faces south and gets direct sun just about the entire day, which turns out to be terrible for having an actual yard but really great for sun-loving plants. Go figure. I do use the basil for garnish and in some salads during the summer, but, for the most part, basil means pesto (which freezes incredibly well if you need to get a winter fix).

Around these parts, Josh is usually the lasagna guy since it seems like a lot of work to me and I wanted to do something different. So I decided on a pest lasagna that is rolled instead of layered. Honestly, it looks awesome and it tastes awesome, but trying to eat it is not so awesome. You could totally impress a date with your cooking skills (and with pretty minimal effort), but, once you serve it, you will most certainly undo that impression by looking like you just learned how to use a fork (not mention the nasty little habit pesto has of getting stuck in the corners of your teeth). So, be forewarned.

The good news is that 13 year olds love it. Her verdict?: "Mmmm..Good, very good. You should put this on the blog." Score one for vegan goodness.
(inspired by Vegandad's Ravioli with Pesto Cream)

12 lasagna noodles (cooked in salted water)

Ricotta:
1 lb. extra firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of pureed, roasted garlic
Handful of basil leaves torn into to tiny pieces
Salt, to taste

Crumble tofu by hand until it is the consistency of ricotta. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and set aside.

Squash:
1 zucchini (sliced 1/8 inch wide, length-wise w/ a mandolin)
1 crookneck squash (sliced 1/8 inch wide, length-wise w/ a mandolin)
Oil for frying
Salt, pepper, and paprika, to taste

Heat oil over medium high heat. Lay as many squash as possible in the pan. Sprinkle squash with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cook until pliable (you'll have to be able to roll the squash). Remove from heat and let cool.

Pesto:
3 cups basil leaves
1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. pureed, roasted garlic
1-2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt, to taste
water to thin out as needed (or more oil)

Combine all ingredients in food processor. Process.

Pesto Pasta Pinwheels:

Rinse noodles to separate if needed. Lay out one noodle at a time. Spread a thin layer of ricotta the entire length of the noodle. Line up one piece of squash with one end of the noodle and carefully roll them into a wheel. Even though the squash is shorter, you'll want to start in the same place or the squash won't get rolled up entirely within the noodle. Place each of the rolls in a baking pan. When all twelve are rolled, add a small amount of water to the pan and bake in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cover with pesto. You can heat up the pesto separately or put in on before the boking, but it will darken depending on the method.

From the Homefront: Bagels and Garden Booty

2009-08-12T12:08:00.004-06:00

I don't know why I put off trying bagels again for so long. Last time, I tried making a batch from a recipe that I found on the internet and they tasted good but were a disaster in every other sense. This time, they were damn near perfect, becasue I went straight to the god of bread-making: Peter Reinhart. I bought the The Bread Baker's Apprentice a while ago after hearing rave reviews about it everywhere. Boy, they weren't lying. These bagels turned out crispish on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Seriously, I would give up my first-born for these bagels (Sorry Aspen!), but, instead, she's going to help me make more while she's visiting so she can take some home to the fam.
I think I may have mentioned before that I have the same thing for breakfast every morning. Due to the gestational diabetes, I had to give up my morning bagel, but now that I've cooked these babies up, I'm back at it. Indeed, not only are the bagels homemade, but the toppings are now straight from our garden making for an almost entirely homemade breakfast (I leave the cream cheese up to the good folks at Toffutti). Due to an abnormally wet summer, our garden has been producing like crazy. I'm a bit surprised, given that I have a black thumb, but I also admittedly have very little to do with the garden. I decided I wanted one and picked out the seedlings, but Josh has done most of the work building the beds, watering, and picking the produce. I supervise from the window and stick my head out occasionally to water the basil in the pot right next to the back door. Why, you ask?

Motherfucking snakes in our motherfucking garden.

Every time I stick more than my head out the door, some snake goes sliding by underfoot. Don't get me wrong, I know that these little garden snakes are harmless and are actually good for the garden, but that doesn't stop those sneaky little fuckers from making sudden movements that inevitably make me shriek like a little girl, drop the baby, and run (ok, I'm being a bit hyperbolic but I do indeed shriek...even when there's really no snake and Josh just thinks it's funny to point and say "watch out for that snake!").

But, my supervisory position is paying off. We have more zucchini than we can use (almost), the tomatoes are starting to ripen in hordes, and we finally got the prize of all prizes: the lemon cucumber. For a while, we though our various types of squash go frisky with one another and produced some kind of mutant offspring, but no...These little yellow balls of sunshine are delicious, taste nothing like lemon, and make me very happy.
Ah, but I digress. The breakfast of breakfasts. The thing that makes getting out of a bed a little bit less painful in the morning. The lovely snack that also ends up being second breakfast on most days...:
A homemade jalapeno bagel with vegan cream cheese, fresh ground salt and pepper, and homegrown lemon cucumber, tomato, and basil. Yum. Yum.

Easy Week Night Dinner: Phyllo Pizza with Zucchini and Fresh Basil

2009-08-09T18:29:00.004-06:00

For many, many years, I've been ambivalent about pizza--at best. I worked at Godfather's Pizza in the early 90's and, as most people who work in the food industry know, working around food can breed a deep dislike of specific foodstuffs due to overindulgence. For me, garlic cheese bread and pizza of any kind became completely unpalatable and I would eat pizza maybe once or twice a year after that.

However, something about going vegan makes a girl want some damn pizza. But, I am not at all into the amount of time it takes to make a good one. Luckily, Josh just happens to like making most of the things that I don't: lasagna, risotto, and pizza...hmmm, it just dawned on me that it's all Italian food. I don't go to Italian restaurants either. But I digress. We hadn't planned ahead. Josh was already lounging in front of the TV and I had recent issue of Cooking Light in hand and old frozen phyllo that needed to be used as part of the pantry challenge. Turns out, phyllo pizza is delicious and only a fraction of the work that's involved with making a decent crust by hand.

Sorry about the crappy photo. This was way better than it looks here.

Phyllo Pizza with Zucchini and Fresh Basil
(Adapted from July 2009 Cooking Light)

1 package of phyllo dough
1 log of Teese, grated
1 cup of Pantry pizza sauce (can of tom's, 2 T tomato paste, a splash of balsamic, some "Italian seasoning," and salt, cooked and blended)
1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
A handful of fresh basil
Oil, in a spray can

Preheat oven to 450. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Working quickly (or use a damp towel instead of being lazy like me), separate sheets of phyllo. Put one down, spray it with oil, then repeat two more times. Laye the third sheet with a handful of grated Teese. Repeat, putting cheese down after every third sheet of phyllo, until phyllo is gone. Spread tomato sauce on top of layered phyllo, leaving a thin crust around the rim of the pizza. Put zucchini and red onion over sauce and then cover the whole thing with the remaining Teese. Cook until the phyllo is brown and cheese has melted.

I recommend letting the pizza sit for about 10 minutes before eating. This will ensure that you do not burn the roof of your mouth and the cheese will have a chance to set. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh basil and crushed red pepper.

Carrots in my Cookies?

2009-07-28T23:58:00.005-06:00

Since the last cookies turned out so good, I decided I had to try Heidi's carrot variation. A recent bout with too much ginger made me omit the fresh ginger and add 1/2 teaspoon of ceylon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger instead. They did not disappoint. The flavor is amazing, although I think they need something to bind them together a bit better. As it stands, they kind of just crumble when you eat them. Granted, the crumbs are amazingly tasty, but I'd still like to get as many of them in my mouth as possible, so I'm thinking a banana or flax egg or something of the sort might do the trick. I'm going to play around with this one and get back to you...

Update #1: I added one smashed banana to the recipe to bind the cookie and an additional 2 tablespoons of flour to balance out the moisture from the banana. The cookies are definitely less crumbly, but I think the taste suffers just a tad--though they're still delicious!

Oatmeal, Banana, Coconut, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-26T15:13:00.005-06:00

When we moved in together a year and a half ago, we combined resources, doubling our pantry stock. For the most, part, this wasn't a problem and things like noodles and beans went rather quickly. For a while there, we even managed to put a little dent in the 30 pounds of risotto that Josh brought to this domestic mix. On the other hand, the outrageously expensive almond meal I bought when I baked him a cake during the initial flushed months of dating ($14 bucks for a bag and I only used 1/4 cup), shredded coconut whose packaging insists that it's been around since before we met, coconut oil from my Skinny Bitch phase, and other odd products like soy milk powder have continued to sit and ponder becoming bug bait.

So, when I came across this recipe, I was intrigued by the fact that it doesn't use any sugar at all, relying instead on bananas for sweetness, but I was also happy to see that I could finally put a fair amount of that almond meal to use. These cookies turned out delicious.
Between the cheap Costco bananas and another bunch that was in the $1 bin at the health food store, I've been able to make these on the cheap and make room in the pantry--until I decided to make them for yesterday's potluck and had to buy more almond meal and coconut oil. Siiiiigh. My pantry may again be as full as ever, but these little sugar-free wonders were a big hit at the potluck and have been keeping bellies full around here for the past week.

Pantry Challenge: The First Two Weeks

2009-07-24T20:53:00.002-06:00

I have to admit that I've been finding this pantry challenge rather enjoyable. Every couple of days I find an ingredient that's been languishing in our cupboard or freezer for an inordinate amount of time and I start perusing the internet and/or my cookbooks for a recipe that makes use of it. So far most of those recipes have included zucchini, since our garden has been producing tons of it but I've also managed to make use of almond meal and coconut and TVP and flax meal (pictures and ideas to come). In case you're interested here's the breakdown of the first two weeks:

Week 1: Spent $17.84
2 cans chipotles in adobo
lighter fluid
2.5 lbs yellow squash
1 bunch of bananas
fresh mint
fresh sage
soft tofu
2 jalapenos
2 limes
1 red onion
5 roma tomatoes
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lb. rolled oats

Week 2: Spent $20.54
1/2 lb leek
Mother's Milk tea
collard greens
mustard greens
8 red potatoes
1 lb. tempeh
1 red onion
2 yellow onions
2 jalapenos
1/2 lb. fennel
1.3 lbs. yukon gold potatoes
Ciabatta

My original goal was to use the 20 bucks a week to buy produce and, for the most part, I think I've done a pretty good job sticking to that goal. The Mother's Milk tea ($5.50) was an unexpected expense that I splurged on when I thought I needed it; without it, I would've been substantially under the $20 goal for the second week. I'm also gaining some perspective from keeping close track of my grocery spending. For instance, I made one trip to the store for salsa making ingredients, which came to a total of $1.76--for a decent sized batch of salsa.

Perhaps, though, the most shocking realization of all is that it's possible to go to Costco and not spend 200 bucks. Though the Costco trip was part of the 3rd week budget, we actually made it out of there with 4 pounds of tofu, 8 bananas, 10 ciabatta rolls, and 3 dozen tortillas for $15. It almost makes a Costco trip seem not worth it--but in a good way.

Sorry for the number heavy post, but I wanted to get it up before I lost the receipts. I'll be posting food and recipes as soon as I find the cord for my camera...

Potato Stir-Fry with Mint and Cilantro

2009-07-16T17:25:00.003-06:00

While I already subscribe to Fine Cooking, I recently decided to splurge on the latest edition of Fine Cooking Fresh, since we don't get a copy with our subscription. Truth be told, I bought the magazine for one recipe: the potato stir-fry. Having discovered 2 bags of dried curry leaves in the process of the aforementioned pantry/freezer challenge, I was excited to find a recipe that called for them and also looks delicious. The recipe is in the side dishes section, but I added a can of drained garbanzo beans and called it dinner.
Verdict: One of the best new recipes I've tried. Loved, loved, loved it!

Summer 2009 Pantry/Freezer Challenge

2009-07-07T14:38:00.005-06:00

With the newest addition to the family (it's a little weird saying that and not referring to a cat) and the fact that I didn't request any summer teaching and Josh is down to one paying job, I have been trying to think of ways to save money instead of writing my dissertation. And while I haven't yet bothered to sit down and actually figure out where we spend our money and come up with a budget based on that (numbers...yuck!), I do know that our biggest expense other than rent is food. The evidence of overspending on food is plain to see in our overfilled foodstuff coffers. We have 3 cupboards in the house full of dry goods, more dry goods in the walk in pantry out in the garage, and not one but two freezers full of food. When I find a shirt or pair of pants I like, I but one in every color; when I find food I like, I buy it at Costco. Add to that my general lack of organization and I tend to buy things like a 6 pound bag of dried pinto beans when we have at least 4 pounds stuck behind the jug of olive oil in the cupboard. Who needs 10 pounds of pinto beans?

Needless to say, a pantry challenge is in order. But, since it's also the height of farmer's market season, I've decided to give myself a budget of $20 a week for things like fresh produce and staples that run out during the course of the challenge--probably spices and the like. Since I recently found myself in the possession of a $100 bill, the initial length of the challenge will be 5 weeks and then I'll reassess. I honestly think we have enough food to get us through to the end of the year doing this, but I'm starting small.

Summer 2009 Pantry Challenge
Start: 05 July 2009
End:08 August 2009
Goals: Clean out the pantry and freezer, better organize foodstuffs, replace old stuff like waaaaay out of date spices, spend $20 or less on food weekly, lose 5 pounds (okay, so now I'm aiming high)
The first step was using some of those damn beans. We also happened to have a deluge of squash taking over our kitchen. On Saturday we got to the farmer's market late and got a fill your bag for $10 deal. I see squash and visions of calabacitas dance in my head. So, last night we had refried beans, fresh salsa, and calabacitas wraps. This is, undoubtedly, one of my all-time, top-five favorite meals and a good way to start this challenge.

Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves

2009-06-23T13:42:00.003-06:00

Lately I've been making a concerted effort to eat foods that I haven't tried before, with mostly good results. While I simply confirmed that I do indeed hate olives, even fancy Kalamata ones, I also learned that I love rhubarb. I made a cardamom rhubarb version of the East Coast Coffee Cake from Vegan Brunch and was pleasantly surprised by the bright, tart flavor of the rhubarb (but, did anyone else find the topping of the coffee cake too flour-y?). Since then, it's been like rhubarbapalooza 'round these parts.

Come to find out, though, rhubarb is pricey. As usual, I just grabbed a handful of rhubarb, walked up to the checkout, and nearly had a heart attack when it rang up for $10. All my visions of cheap jam--a staple of Josh's diet--flew out the window. However I proceeded unabated and tackled the making and canning of my preserves. Unfortunately, I followed the Ball recipe for the first one, which called for 4 cups of fruit and 5 1/2 cups of sugar. Needless to say, visions of diabetes danced in my head with my first taste. Way to sweet for my taste and the sugar completely obscured the taste of the rhubarb. So, I gave those jars of strawberry flavored sugar to the kids next door and adjusted the recipe. After some tinkering and finding a whole bag of rhubarb for $1 in the eat-this today-at-your-own-risk bin at the natural foods store, I now have 10 pints of delicious rhubarby preserves which cost me about $14 to make.
Strawberry Rhubarb Preserves
makes 4 pints

4 cups diced strawberries
4 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
6 tsp. calcium water
6 tsp. pectin (calcium water and pectin are Pomona brand and are sold together)
4 1/2 cups sugar

Sterilize 4 pint jars and the lids (unlike me, remember to put jars in the water before you start to heat it up). Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring fruit, lemon juice, and calcium water to a boil over medium-high heat. As the strawberries start to get juicy, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush them. Next, mix the pectin into the sugar. Once the fruit is boiling, add the sugar mixture. Stir constantly until fruit/sugar mixture comes to a boil and let boil for 1-2 minutes. Don't stop stirring unless you hate your pot and are looking for an excuse to buy a new one (there's no better excuse than burned fruit/sugar). Don't worry about the fact that the preserves look to liquidy to firm up. They will.

Next remove sterilized jars from water one at a time and fill a quarter of an inch from the top. Adjust lids until finger tight and put back in the boiling water. Process for 10 minutes. Remove and let sit undisturbed overnight. By morning, you'll have perfect strawberry rhubarb preserves for toast, muffins, or--if you're anything like Vegan Patty--straight out of the jar.

Snapshots from the Gestationally Diabetic

2009-06-08T19:33:00.004-06:00

Better late than never, right?

Though the gestational diabetes went away with the birth of Eames, the pictures still linger. I meant to document the trials and tribulations that went along with the condition, but I could barely get it together enough to go to work everyday and then drag my ass to bed--blogging was a no go.

In reality, I had an easy pregnancy. The gestational diabetes was the one annoyance and complication that I had to deal with.* Essentially, I had to make sure that I consumed a certain number of carbs at every meal throughout the day: less than 30 at breakfast and 45 for lunch and dinner and 2 snacks of less than 15. Technically, it's not supposed to matter what kind of carbs, but I quickly found out that my pregnant body wasn't fond of many processed carbs or grains of any kind (and bananas...). Rice, quinoa, and tortillas in any amount made me feel like death, for instance. As a result, most of our meals consisted of a protein source and vegetables.** Though I should've eaten more grains for balance, I couldn't seem to make it work and I finally gave up. The sweating and racing heart and worry about the baby that resulted from a couple bites of rice just wasn't worth it. I never thought it would be so hard to live without tortillas, but it quickly became obvious that I wrap almost everything in a lovely flattened, flour package of joy.

In retrospect, I think even those without diabetes of any kind can learn a lesson from this. Processed carbs are hard on the body and I think we'd all do well to limit them even when our insulin is working just like it should. So, here're some of the meals that worked for me when my insulin wouldn't:

Roasted Veggies with Smoky Seitan Stroganoff

Mini Crustless Tofu Quiche and Strawberry Salad
Josh's Special: Potato Tofu Beans and Greens
VSK's Rosemary Roasted Tofu Cubes w/ Roasted Asparagus and FUN-Kay Mashed Potatoes
Mustard Crusted Tofu and VSK's Citrus Collards w/ Raisins Redux

*And, frankly, it's one that worked out in my favor. The strictness with which I followed the diet resulted in "inadequate weight gain" and I ended up only gaining a total of 13 pounds. So, within 5 weeks of giving birth, I'm actually 16 pounds below where I started and I have a cute healthy baby.

**It's also important to note that the dietitian I saw had only one concern about my veganism: getting enough fat. I can't remember what role fat plays in insulin production now, but it's an important one and she insisted I consciously add fat to my diet in the form of oils, avocado, and the like. The sacrifices I make...

Swiss Chard Frittata and Diner Home Fries

2009-06-08T17:55:00.002-06:00

Like many of you, I pre-ordered Vegan Brunch. However, it's likely that none of you then switched banks and forgot to update your credit card info and then got annoyed when Amazon kept sending you emails which you ignored thinking they were sales notifications or some such thing and, anyway, don't they know you just had a baby and can't be bothered with this crap? Jesus.
So, it took me a week or two to realize they really wanted to send me the cookbook I've been so eagerly awaiting (since I would argue that vegan cookbooks don't do breakfasty type stuff well, if they do it at all). I finally got it about 2 weeks ago and promptly made Mom's Morning Casserole, which was horribly unphotogenic but pretty good to taste. My second foray into the book was both tasty and good looking (mostly). The Swiss Chard Frittata was perfect with the chard I picked up earlier from the farmer's market only to have it wilt as it sat at the Community Cycles booth with Josh. I thought at first that 6 cloves worth of sliced garlic might be a bit overwhelming but the 'blonding' method does go exceptionally well with the earthiness of the chard. And the Diner Home Fries...well, you can't exactly go wrong with a potato. Isa only uses salt and pepper to season hers, but my love of paprika--especially on home fries--made me deviate from the recipe even though I usually try to make it, for the first try at least, according to directions. While the potatoes took a while, the frittata came together quickly and this was a wholly satisfying brunch/breakfast for dinner.

A Vegan Baby

2009-05-25T21:47:00.003-06:00

While having a baby isn't an excuse for slacking on the posts for many many months now, I do have some cuteness to make up for it.

Welcome Eames (who is now 3 weeks old...)!

Vegan Sushi

2009-04-15T14:11:00.004-06:00

Though the very real possibility of having a boy and all the renegotiating that comes with that has pretty much taken precedence over everything else, I wanted to make sure I got a picture of the vegan sushi we made for the shower posted before an actual baby trumps even the idea of posting a blog. Our good friend's Patty and Mary hosted our baby shower here in CO, and last time we had a party at the castle, Josh and I painstakingly crafted vegan candy corn for hours on end because Patty had a thing for it in her pre-vegan days. Since then, I ran across an idea for vegan sushi that I knew she would love given her affinity for Swedish Fish and I knew I had to make it for the shower. While the sushi received rave reviews, I have to admit that I thought it was disgusting (good thing to since it is basically what amounts to a diabetic coma in bite-sized pieces for me at the moment). It' simply a batch of vegan rice krispy treats topped with Swedish Fish and secured with the apparently rare and hard to find toxic green fruit roll-up.
Patty loved them and so did everybody else. In fact, I wasn't able to get a picture of them fast enough but, luckily, Jen snapped a picture of them on her camera phone before they were completely devoured.

High on Corn Syrup and Sugar: Patty, Josh, Dalyn, and Mary

You've Got to be &^%$#!!? Kidding Me.

2009-03-09T18:47:00.002-06:00

I'll admit that this only partially works as an excuse since I hadn't been posting regularly anyway. But, I found out 2 weeks ago that i have gestational diabetes and the resulting drama of glucose tests and home blood testing and experimenting with food to see what I can eat has left me wanting to think about anything but food (for more on the diagnosis experience and how the hell an active vegan can possibly get gestational diabetes, see my other blog: www.thedalyn.blogspot.com).

Fortunately, I see a dietitian tomorrow so we can sort this mess out, but there seems to be little rhyme or reason to what makes my blood sugar spike. However, I do know that if I stick to protein and veggies, I seem to do alright. That said, I threw together a mustard crusted tofu over roasted root veggies the other night and it was quite good. It's based on this recipe, though I added the greens, onions, ginger, and lime juice to some leftover roasted root veggies that we got from a dinner a friend made us. Turns out, it was tasty and diabetic friendly!

Road Trip: SLC

2009-02-28T17:55:00.005-07:00

We decided to hit the road for a trip to Salt Lake City over Valentine's Day weekend. Many, many people looked at us a bit askance when we said we were headed to to SLC, but we went for a number for reasons. The biggest reason happens to be that SLC houses the closest Ikea to Denver and therefore flocks of Coloradans swarm into the area on weekends looking for cheap, modern furniture and reindeer balls (I'm assuming). We were indeed looking for cheap furniture, but we were also looking forward to some good vegan food and a little time in the Salt Lake City Bike Collective. Neither were disappointing; frankly, there's some good shit going down in Zion.

Exhibit A: The Avalanche
Exhibit B: Biscuits and Gravy
Exhibit C: The Mountain
Exhibit D: The American Diner
In retrospect, it was probably good that we only stayed in town for Saturday and part of Sunday. Josh and I hit up Vertical Diner for breakfast the first morning we were there, and immediately decided to come back the following morning to try more of there breakfast. I would gain 20 pounds if I lived any closer than 7 hours to this place. While I loved my first breakfast, The Avalanche, with its sampling of all the breakfast staples including divine pancakes and awesome homemade sausage, Josh's fried chicken-style seitan was undoubtedly the best seitan I've ever had in my life. And it was fried perfectly.

The only disappointment was that neither of us had room for dessert with our breakfast.

Hoppin' John, Skippin' Jenny, and a Belated Happy New Year

2009-01-15T13:36:00.006-07:00

Despite having no relationship to the South whatsoever, I decided that I liked the idea of having a New Year's tradition. I also always like the idea of making another recipe from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slowcooker (one of the 3-4 cookbooks I use incessantly). I tweaked the recipe just a bit by adding some smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, and steamed collards. I read somewhere that collards are supposed to bring even more prosperity, and who couldn't use more prosperity?
Served with Trader Joe's cornbread (imported by rental car along with some two buck chuck and other goodies), this is one New Year's tradition that I'd be happy to repeat.

Holiday Road Trip Food

2009-01-09T18:43:00.007-07:00

I seem to have more excuses than I have blog posts and, frankly, I don't really have an excuse for that. One of the things that's kept me outta the blogosphere was our holiday road trip. For ten glorious days, we left Colorado behind and headed west for family, presents, vegan eats, Trader Joe's, and Ikea. Did I already say it was glorious? Unfortunately, I forgot my camera in half the places we ate, but I did manage a few shots and I think I can still remember them well enough to describe what I didn't snap.

In honor of the many delicious vegan meals we had on the road, I've compiled out Holiday Road Trip Vegan Eats 2008 Top 5 list:

5. Pure Luck. (LA, CA) In our quest to scope out the Bicycle Kitchen, we stumbled onpon what just might be the coolest corner in LA. All in one small little corner, there was a vegan restaurant, a bike shop, a community bike shop, and a local ice cream establishment with 5 vegan flavors of ice cream. Being a committed non-dessert person (even in the midst of pregnancy), I can't comment on the quality of the ice cream, though Josh managed to nod and express his enjoyment monosyllabically while enjoying the Banana Oreo ice cream. And, while I didn't love my Jackfruit carnitas burrito, the chickpea salad and tofu pesto sandwiches were quite good--as were the lemonade and homemade tortilla chips.
4. Hugo's Tacos. (Studio City, CA) I've been wanting to try Hugo's for quite some time and our trip to LA was the perfect excuse to go just a bit further and hit up Studio City for some tacos. The soyrizo, potato, and zucchini tacos were really good (though I wished I'd picked a different salsa for the top), but I think I preferred the soppy mess that was Josh's Ahogada Torta. It wasn't pretty and it didn't look easy to eat and the jumble of flavors was a bit confusing, but it somehow worked.
3. Green. (Tempe, AZ) Since we discovered it, our trips to Phoenix have always included a trip to Green in Tempe. They've expanded to include some grocery items now, which made me sad given that they had the Cheddar Teese and we still had 2500 miles to drive before getting back home. To reinforce the pattern, I wasn't thrilled about my entree. Unlike Hugo's Torta, the Mexicali burger did indeed have too much going on. The hummus, nacho cheeze sauce, vegan mayo, and spicy chipotle was sauce overload. I couldn't tell if the patty was any good or not. But, goddamn if the rosemary fries, artichoke gratine, crab puffs, and chocolate mint tsoynami weren't enough to make up for it.
2. Fresh Mint. (Scottsdale, AZ) This vegan(?) Thai restaurant has fake meats that satisfied even the most devoted omni's at our table. But, the real standout here--and the thing I'd go back to Scottsdale for over and over again--is the dessert. Even though we were full, we decided to give the banana fritters a try. I'm might have to turn in my sweet toothless badge. With coconut tapioca topped by fried bananas and chocolate sauce, this is one of the best desserts I've ever had.
1. Mozy's Cafe. (Encinitas, CA) The Tamale Burrito. I don't even know what else to say except that it's the most ridiculous, divine thing I've ever heard of and it never fails to delight me.

*Stay tuned for the conclusion of the road trip food. You won't want to miss it.

Bagels! Bagels! Bagels!

2008-12-17T19:04:00.005-07:00

I thought I'd start by offering you the goods and, believe me, this picture actually does them a lot of justice. The reality is that these jalapeno bagels were a disaster, barely look like bagels, and adhered to the wax paper like a thrift store price tag to a $4 salad spinner. However, I am proud of myself for trying and they actually taste delicious. If I can get this recipe fine tuned, I might actually save myself some money, because...Well, I'll be honest: I eat bagels like they're going out of style. I'll defend the variety and nutritiousness of my diet against just about anything or anyone, but there is an exception. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day--or damn near. In fact, I'd say 28/30 days.

My morning goes something like this: wake up, drag ass downstairs, cut jalapeno bagel in half, put one half in the toaster, slice cucumber, tomato, and avocado, pull bagel out of toaster, spread Toffutti cream cheese on bagel, top with salt and lemon pepper, add cucumbers, then tomatoes, then avocado (all in a pretty flower pattern), and eat. My morning bagel is like coffee; I can't start the day without it (and, I actually often follow it some time later with a coffee beverage of some kind).

Now, I can stop my incessant hunt for adequate jalapeno bagels, whose habitat is inevitably far from mine. I can just make them. As soon as I get the dough to rise in sometime less than 30 hours. And, as soon as I can figure out a way to separate the bagel from the paper. And , I have to admit, it would be nice if they looked remotely like bagels, though they do have a vaguely croissant-ish look about them.

But, for now, I'm happy with the bits I can pull off the paper and dip straight into the cream cheese container. In fact, that very act even feels a little triumphant.

(I do want to add that I think this recipe will work. The bagels turned out crispy on the outside and deliciously chewy on the inside--just like a bagel should be.)

It's an...Avocado!!!

2008-12-03T21:15:00.004-07:00

I realize I've been horribly remiss in posting, but the reality is that--except for Thanksgiving--I haven't been cooking all that much. Half way through Vegan MoFo I found myself knee deep in my dissertation proposal and much of October and all of November was a mad dash to get that finished. The good news is that I did get it finished and I successfully defended it yesterday. Now I just have to write the damn thing. Oy. Good thing I have a whole lot to say about reality TV.

The other good news is that last week I hit the 16 week mark. That's right, the baby--you know, the one I haven't mentioned here--was officially as big as an avocado last week. My first thought, of course, was that avocados make tasty guacamole. So, we went out to West End for yam chips and guacamole to celebrate, which was divine as ever. And, yes, that's my club soda in the background. Surprisingly, bourbon is not on the baby-approved list.
This week the baby is the size of a turnip. I don't particularly care for turnips. Luckily, we actually get to find out the sex in two weeks and we can stop calling it the produce of the week. And, also lucky, the semester is almost over and the grading is almost over and the proposal is over, so I might actually find time to post again before we find out what kind of turnip we're having.

Vegan MoFo: Corn Maze Food

2008-10-19T11:03:00.005-06:00

I went to my first ever corn maze last night. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I was kind of disappointed anyway. It was mostly...well, dead and trampled. But, we did get to partake in some nasty greasy carnival type food, which Josh was kind enough to model.

Behold, ladies and gentlemen, the a-maize-ing, the awesome, the frightening....tater twister!!!!
That is a $5 potato that has been thinly cut into one long potato chip and ~~soaked~~ cooked in oil. Along with that there too sweet lemonade, we had a complete meal. That counts as a fruit and vegetable, right?

Vegan MoFo: 2 Days in the Soup

2008-10-15T19:50:00.004-06:00

While it is warming up a bit, this weekend was cold and nasty. And we didn't even get snow, which would've made it worthwhile. Instead, we closed up the house, fired up the woodburning stove, and turned on the crockpot. One of my all-time favorite cookbooks is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slowcooker. I've used it quite a bit and seldom been disappointed.
The first soup we tried is the French White Bean and Cabbage soup, which I topped with some homemade seitan sausage. I'll admit that I seldom like cabbage, but this soup is really really good--the flavors are simple and good together wonderfully. I usually only buy cabbage so I can make a small amount of salad for my calabacitas, since cabbage holds up better than lettuce and lends a nice crunch to the dish. Unfortunately, the rest gets composted. Now I know what I'll be making with my leftover cabbage.
The second soup is the Almost Irish Stew. I have to admit that I didn't really care for this one. There's just something slightly off about the taste and after I mentioned it Josh tasted it too (though I think he may just be sensitive to the power of suggestion). However, this only the second of 12-15 recipes I've tried that hasn't been quite good. And, those Pilsbury crescent rolls more than made up for it, I'm ashamed to say.

(Funny...looking at those pictures side by side, the soups look the same, but the taste is totally different.)

Vegan MoFo: Pizza Hut

2008-10-11T18:28:00.005-06:00

Just the other day, Josh and I were discussing the finer qualities of Pizza Hut's crust--namely, the gooey inside and the oily, crispy outside. It's been a good 15 years since I've had one of their pizzas, but I still remember the goodness. Admittedly, this conversation started with me wondering how the Pizza Hut near us possibly stays in business, but this conversation also ultimately led to us helping the local Pizza Hut stay in business.

Facing a long, busy, work-focused weekend, neither of us really felt like cooking. And, since it's suddenly about 38 degrees outside, neither of us felt like riding our bikes either. So, we started brainstorming about delivery options. We came up with two possibilities: Pizza Hut or the generically named Colorado Wok. After glancing at the Colorado Wok menu and deciding that I'm not nearly brave enough tot give it a go, we decided to see if Pizza Hut's crust is as good as we remember. Since the last time I ordered pizza for delivery, they've developed a nifty online ordering system. At least it would be nifty it worked. It kept insisting that my name was already taken and, trust me, there is no way in hell that anyone else in the country has my full name. After screaming at the online system, I finally just called and ordered in a cool 3 minutes. We decided on sauce, red onion, green pepper, and pineapple, with no cheese. While we were waiting, I whipped up a variation of the Native Chi's from the Native Foods cookbook to put on top of the pizza when it finally got here.
Final Verdict: That cashew based cheese was delicious on Pizza Hut pizza. And the crust is good, though not quite as greasy and delicious as either of us remember it. I'm a little worried that this worked out so well. Ordering one large pizza with a tip was a pricey proposition (about $23) and it turned out so good that I can see us doing this more often than we should. Luckily, the shame I'll feel at putting out a recycling bin with a Pizza Hut box in it will probably deter me.

Vegan MoFo: Balsamic Lentil Soup

2008-10-09T19:50:00.004-06:00

I am a lazy lazy slob of a girl. Yes, I may commute 24 miles on my bike. I even make dinner most nights and keep the house --with all its accompanying animal messes--clean. But what did I do today? I slept until 3:00 in the afternoon. I didn't intend to. With piles and piles of grading slowly starting to take over the dining room table and floor and a dissertation proposal to finish (or suffer very dire consequences), the last thing I can afford is a day in bed. It started innocently enough: I grabbed my laptop and sat down with my writing materials. One problem is that I work in bed because the office is a disaster and it's the most comfortable place to type on a laptop. The next problem saw me get into bed with my work and promptly deposited himself between me knees full of purrs and stretches. Then the third problem thought he might as well join the second problem....and, well, what can a person do except sleep the day away when two purring cats are cuddled up against you and it's damn cold outside? Especially when Nico asks so nicely:
After sleeping the day away, I knew I needed something easy and delicious and comforting. It's been a while since I made my favorite lentil soup, so it seemed to be just the thing to have before I crawl back in bed for the night.
Balsamic Lentil Soup

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups water
1 1/2 cups red lentils, rinsed
4 tbsp. tomato paste (I think that's what two frozen ice cubes worth equals)
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a soup pot and saute onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until almost cooked through. Add chopped tomatoes and cook 1-2 more minutes. Add water, lentils, tomato paste, dill, bay leaf, and peppers. Bring to a boil, then simmer until lentils are cooked. Turn off the heat and balsamic vinegar and salt/pepper.

I like to eat this with a dollop of Tofutti sour cream.

Vegan MoFo: Tsuey Yuh Slice

2008-10-06T20:17:00.004-06:00

Don't know how to pronounce it. Don't really know what it's supposed to be, but I know it's good:
This little nugget of veggie goodness resides at Pacific Ocean Market, the mother of all Asian markets (at least in this neck of the woods). It is the size of a small Safeway, is stocked with exotic and wonderful foods (and some not so wonderful), and smells like day old fish. It's quite an adventure shopping there since most of the labels aren't in English, products tend to migrate around the store, and everyone there speaks a combination of Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog with perhaps a bit of Korean thrown in. I speak none of these. Once when I asked after curry leaves, one of their employees threw a bag of bay leaves in my bag. I tried to explain that I wanted curry leaves and she simply replied, "Yes, to put in curry." I bought them anyway.

The real pleasure, though, is digging through the shifting freezer section of mystery veggie meats. Twice in a row now (!!!), they've had Tsuey Yuh Slice which is best described as a dense sponge with a chickenish taste. You know, if an old sponge full of chicken flavor actually tasted good.

(Tsuey Yuh Slice with veggies, coconut milk, green curry, and lime juice)

Vegan MoFo: Costco Run

2008-10-05T09:18:00.005-06:00

I've been slacking. Again. Despite Vegan Mofo. But, to be fair, Friday night dinner was me slumped on the couch watching the VP debate clutching a bowl of popcorn with nooch and dill. Last night, we had company and I had no oomph to post or take a picture with a belly full of calabacitas and a brain full of Aliens.

I did, however, get a picture of our Costco run yesterday. When we ran into some friends in Costco, they were amazed to see us there (I guess we don't seem like the big box types), but, every once in while, we do give into a great American pastime: overindulging at Costco. Since we don't drive, we have to be careful about how much we buy and yesterday we just managed to fit everything into the trailer--which Josh was gracious enough to pull home. The trailer must've weighed 90-100 pounds thanks to 60 pounds of cat litter. But, when you have 3 cats, it's worth slogging to Costco and back--especially when you have someone else willing to do the slogging--for cheap litter that doesn't make the cats smell like artificial meadows or some such madness.
What you can't see under the paper towels and ziplock bags and canvas stretchers and the crockpot is our brand new Vita-Mix. I seldom get excited about anything, but, rounding that corner at Costco, I ran smack dab into a Vita-Mix demo which literally caused me to squeal, do a little hop, and start pointing at it excitedly. Anything that gets that kind of reaction out of me is bound to cost a lot of money and it did. But, we made salsa in it last night and shredded cabbage and I am completely impressed. I immediately put the old blender in the donation bin and stuck the cuisinart in the cupboard, because I think it too may have just been made obsolete.

Vegan Mofo: Egg in my Face

2008-10-01T19:39:00.005-06:00

Saying you're vegan often elicits a list--from whomever happens to be around--of a wide range of food that people can't live without. Cheese usually tops that list for omnivores. Vegans will often cite things like Nutella as the food they miss the most. Neither of these things moves me. I thought I would miss cheese and I still sometimes get a yen for feta, but Nutella does nothing for me. Instead, I miss eggs (and steamed clams, but that's another story).

As good as tofu scrambles are (especially the one in Vcon) and as delicious as the Skinny Bitch egg salad is, I still dream about the perfectly fried egg. There simply is no substitute--or, at least, there wasn't. I came across this recipe somewhere on the internets, so kudos to whoever came up with this. Perhaps it's been so long that I don't remember what a real breakfast sandwich tastes like, but I don't care. This is crazy good. I have ended my love affair with eggs once and for all.

Now, if only I can figure out a way to make vegan steamed clams...

Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches (4 servings)

1 pound extra firm tofu
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. black salt (find this at all costs)
8 thin slices FYH cheddar
8 slices veggie ham or canadian bacon (or use tempeh bacon)
4 vegan english muffins
Earth Balance

Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Slice tofu into 8 medium width rectangles and brush one side of tofu with vinegar mixture. Put tofu mixture side down on a baking sheet and brush the other side of the tofu. Heat oven to 425 and wait 10 minutes. Brush tofu with mixture one more time and bake each side for 10-12 minutes. If you have any leftover mixture, brush the tofu again when you flip it over.

Meanwhile, pour a little oil in a frying pan and fry fake meat a minute or two on each side. Toast and butter muffins.

About 3 minutes before the tofu is done, break each cheese slice in half and place both halves on each piece of tofu. Comtinue cooking until cheese melts.

Layer the tofu and fake meat on the english muffin and try not to burn your mouth.

Smoky Miso Tofu and Cantaloupe Salsa

2008-09-13T11:52:00.003-06:00

I love melon; I just don't like cantaloupe. I don't know what it is, but I've always though that cantaloupe just tastes...funky. That said, cantaloupes abound around here right now and I ran across a recipe for cantaloupe salsa that I thought just might make that funky melon palatable. Since I've been making a conscious effort to eat more salads, I threw together a salad and decided that flavors would go perfectly with Veganyumyum's Smoky Miso Tofu (I think her tamarind glaze would also be perfect with this salsa). Like everything I've ever tried from her, it was amazing, and the salsa and tofu made great wraps later in the week.
Cantaloupe Salsa
1 cantaloupe, small diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/2 jicama, finely diced
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
1 habanero, minced or very finely diced
Juice of one lime
A squirt of agave

Mix all ingredients together. As with most salsa, the longer this sits, the better it gets. Letting the flavors meld overnight is ideal--if you can wait that long.

Fried Land Fish and Rice with Partridge

2008-09-08T19:56:00.003-06:00

Yes, you heard me right.

Maybe it's the fact that I'm feeling overwhelmed by school or maybe it's the fact that fall has clearly announced itself, but I've found myself daydreaming about Spain a lot lately. Unfortunately, instead of jumping on a plane headed for Espana, I pulled out My Kitchen in Spain hoping to try a few new recipes. The first one I decided on is a vegetarian recipe that is made during Lent: "Rice with Partridge." The partridge is that there bulb of garlic in the middle, though i like to imagine Danny Partridge jumping out of the middle of a pile o' rice.
(This is also the latest addition to my Copco collection.)

In order to keep with the vegetarian meat theme, I thought a side order of fried land fish would go with the rice swimmingly. Apparently, land fish is is eggplant (I can't quite fathom how eggplant was associated with fish, but there it is...). It is simply an eggplant cut into french fry shaped pieces and coated in a flour, cumin, salt, and pepper and deep fried. I don't typically like eggplant, so deep frying it made sense. The flavor turned out great but the texture is...well...Josh says they're like "really soft french fries," which he said sounded bad and amended to wilted. I think the texture was more insubstantial.

Rizo'd Garbanzos

2008-08-30T19:16:00.005-06:00

I used to eat a salad every night. Always spinach. Always with Consorzio balsamic vinaigrette. Somewhere along the line though, I stopped eating salad. I forgot how good they are until Patty came over to watch some BSG and brought along the makings of a Caesar salad. She has been searching in vain for a vegan Caesar recipe and didn't even realize that she had it in her fridge all along: Girard's Light Champagne dressing. Ever since we had that salad, I've been thinking about making one and last night I did (the fancy purple carrots I got gave me the initiative). I happened to also have an unbelievably good whole wheat loaf of bread that I picked up at Lafayette's humble farmer's market. With salad and bread taken care of, I really just wanted something simple and rustic to go with them.

Enter soyrizo. So soyrizo isn't exactly rustic, but garbanzo beans are and that's actually where I started (with "Fried Garbanzo Beans" in 1080 Recipes, which I've adapted here). Soyrizo entered the game late, but goddamn if it didn't steal the show. As usual.
Several tbsp. Earth Balance
1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cans garbanzos, rinsed and drained
2 tsp. pureed roasted garlic
1 tsp. paprika (smoked, hot, sweet...it's up to you)
1 package of soyrizo
3-4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Melt EB in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add diced onions and saute until they begin to look translucent. Add tomatoes and continue to saute for another 8-10 minutes. Tomatoes should fall apart. Add paprika and roasted garlic, mixing thoroughly. Next, add the garbanzo beans. Turn up the heat and saute garbanzo beans until they seem "fried" to your liking. Turn the heat back down and add the soyrizo. Heat through, then turn off the heat completely. Mix most of the chopped parsley into the dish and garnish with the remaining parsley.

Easy. Quick. Nachos.

2008-08-30T19:08:00.004-06:00

Josh thought these were so pretty when he got home late the other night that he said they deserved to be in the blog.

Blueberry Crumb Bars

2008-08-25T19:17:00.003-06:00

Today was the first day of school. It was hard. I ate one of these*:
Smitten Kitchen comes through again. I simply used a quarter cup of applesauce instead of an egg. Lemony blueberry goodness.

*At least I had the oomph to take a crappy picture first.

Jackfruit Tacos

2008-08-21T12:31:00.005-06:00

So, I've been eying these "carnitas" tacos for quite some time now (or at least the time it takes for another trip to the Pacific Ocean Market) and finally got around to trying them out yesterday. I followed pretty much followed the recipe--except I roasted the carnitas in a shallow baking dish for 20 minutes on 400 after slowcooking it (I was trying to get the crispiness that carnitas get and kind of did). I also served it with homemade pico de gallo and refried beans. I really, really liked this dish, though the jackfruit still tasted briny (in fact, the brininess was particularly strong today when it was cold...yuck) and I'm trying to figure out how get rid of that flavor altogether. Any ideas?

The good news is that I get to mark another item off my 101 things list. I tried kohlrabi last week as well, but I think I may have tried it before and I didn't do anything with it--just tried a chunk. I wasn't impressed, but I don't blame the kohlrabi. I just wasn't sure what to do with it.
Pico de Gallo
6 roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1 handful of cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
dash of olive oil
salt to taste

Mix the diced produce together, then carefully mix in the rest of the ingredients. Chill and enjoy.

Ebony and Ivory...

2008-08-20T15:20:00.006-06:00

...or, in this case peanut butter "cream cheese" frosting and chocolate, do go together in perfect harmony. Josh's birthday was last Friday and I decided that I'd bake him a fancy cake for his birthday. Josh loves peanut butter and chocolate and to prove my complete and utter selflessness, I not only baked him a cake with those two things which I don't particularly like but I also baked--which I don't like to do.

Luckily for me, Smitten Kitchen had recently posted a recipe for a chocolate peanut butter cake. As she points out, this cake is incredibly rich: three layers of chocolate cake connected with peanut butter cream cheese frosting and topped with a chocolate glaze. it also has more sugar than flour and an impressive amount of oil. Josh, by some miracle, managed to put away two good size pieces after a big dinner. But, be forewarned, this cake is not for weak of heart--or stomach.
Also, this cake was exceptionally easy to veganize using earth balance, soy creamer, egg replacer and so forth. I do, however, recommend cooking the cakes for a few minutes longer, though I'm not sure why mine took longer (replaced ingredients, altitude, ineptness...?).

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup; Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Tan Food

2008-08-10T23:00:00.005-06:00

Somewhere, somehow, I heard that garlic was good for colds. And, somewhere, somehow, I though that making a recipe out of all our cookbooks--granted, at the time I was thinking only of cookbooks I'd thus far neglected before then deciding that I shouldn't limit the new experiences I could gain from this whole crazy idea and I would indeed make a recipe I'd never tried before from each and every one demanding square footage which is admittedly easy to come by 'round these parts--would be a good idea. Naturally, when added together, these two ideas equal "White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup" from Vegan with a Vengeance. For another reason that kind of eludes me, I though that it would be a good idea to use dry beans instead of canned. A decision I came to around 1:30 this afternoon. As a result, the soup seemed crazy complicated, but I'm sure that's only because it took me 7 hours from quick soak to finish. The good news is that Josh said he felt better 4 bites into the first bowl, so I guess that makes it worth it. By the time it was done, I wasn't really feeling up to breaking up that tan, so I just take the damn picture.
On a slightly less tan note, I also made the "Tofu Ricotta" from VwaV which I stuffed into shells with Teese and shredded zucchini and an attempt at marinara (I've never liked the stuff). Totally worth all the dirty pots and pans and stovetop. I picked an exploding shell to show off the ricotta. So, yes, it's another fairly unattractive picture of food. Sorry, Isa.

Yellow Rose Recipes

2008-08-10T17:47:00.004-06:00

Josh woke up feeling crappy today, so he's been camped out downstairs watching Batman Begins and the original X Files movie between naps. Not wanting to catch whatever crud he has, I've kept my ass upstairs. I took the opportunity to catch up some things around the house: touching up the paint, laundry, dishes, and cleaning out the fridge. Since we had a bunch of leftover produce going bad from the Community Cycles shindig and I need to get on my goal of trying at least one recipe from the mountains of cookbooks we own, I decided to make the Raw Corn Salsa and Aloha Bread from Yellow Rose Recipes ( I also made several other things, but that's the next post).

I originally had doubts about the salsa, though I think I was just being stubborn because it calls for cayenne instead of a fresh pepper of some sort. I'm not sure why I thought anyone could mess up salsa. I guess I have strong feelings about these things. Anyway, I need not have worried because it came out great. Completely unphotogenic, but great.

I've been eying the Aloha bread for a while and decided to actually bake something today. I hate to bake. And I don't like sweets, but that bread has all my favorite fruit in it so I had to give it a try. It does not disappoint. It was even good without the almond extract which Josh told me we had. We didn't. We have vanilla and orange and rootbeer and two bottles of lemon, but no almond. I don't particularly like almond extract anyway, so it's just as well. It's easier to taste the orange and pineapple and coconut this way.
So, so far, Yellow Rose has split even for me. I tried two recipes that I wasn't crazy about and two that I really like. Anyone else have some favorite recipes from that cookbook?

Anasazi Bean and Rice Quesadilla

2008-08-10T13:35:00.003-06:00

Oy. I'm getting slower and slower at posting these things--even though I'm sitting around doing nothing. Funny how that happens. I finally decided to try the Quesadillas (with some minor changes) that Jennifer (of Veg*n Cooking) posted about a while back. This was basically a variation of the other Mexican-y squash based dishes I've been focused on lately. However, the anasazi beans are wonderful and a nice change. The salsa I served these with--Chipotle Roasted Tomatillo Salsa--complemented the quesadillas perfectly.

Somehow, once I gave up cheese, I never though about making quesadillas. What a dolt I am.

Summer Tacos

2008-08-06T18:41:00.003-06:00

I'm overwhelmed by all the things I need to do. I'm staring the semester in the (not so pretty) face and I've tasked myself with 101 things to do and--though the list actually gives me some confidence and focus--there's a lot to do and all I want to do is sit around and watch crappy TV like "Greatest American Dog." I suppose these really are the dog days of summer.

Luckily, tonight's dinner did not add to my stress at all. I finally got around to trying another tester recipe for Happy Herbivore: Summer Tacos. Delicious and anxiety free.

An Award!!!

2008-07-31T20:18:00.005-06:00

Well, I'm so flabbergasted that I'm afraid I don't have a speech prepared and quoting Sally Field just makes me feel old. I would, however, like to thank Bianca over at Vegan Crunk for passing on the award. Her food looks amazing, so I guess I keep good company. At least on the internets, anyway.

**Um, I don't know how to make the award smaller. I tried so as to not look so ostentatious. Really, I did.

Calabacitas Wraps

2008-07-31T19:52:00.007-06:00

There are many, many things I don't miss about Tucson--mostly the sheer variety of things that can kill you--but there is one thing I miss: La Indita. As a Southern California native, it took me some time to get used to the Tucson brand of Mexican food, which is Sonoran as opposed to Baja, but I came around to it eventually. I was lucky enough to live exactly two blocks from La Indita, which is the best Mexican food that town has to offer. It is, more precisely, a Tohono Tarascan Mexican restaurant. The food is cheap, plentiful, and vegan friendly. They even have vegan tamales (made by la abuela) that are to die for. But, it's not the tamales I went there for most days; it was the calabacitas. I made every effort to fill myself up with their home made chips and excellent salsa, but somehow I always found room for the main course. One tortilla, when unfolded, takes up half the table and is dangerously thin, so I'd fold it in half in a lame attempt at reinforcement and fill it with refried beans, calabacitas, the cabbage salad that decorated the plate, and some salsa. While I attempted to eat it before it fell apart and I had to lick it off my hands, I never succeeded. I did, however, succeed at gaining 30 pounds.

Calabacitas
2 crookneck squash, sliced into rounds
2 zucchini, sliced into rounds
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 onion diced
1 can of corn (you can also use frozen or fresh, but I like the canned for this)
1 jalapeno, finely diced (use your judgment--for instance, the jalapenos are hot right now so I used half)
4 sprigs of cilantro
Water
Garlic
Salt

For the wrap:
Calabacitas
Refried beans
Shredded Cabbage
Salsa

Heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron dutch oven or similar pan. Saute the onion for about five minutes. Add both kinds of squash and let cook for couple of minutes. Add water. You don't need to cover the squash, but there needs to be enough to cook in for a while. Add tomatoes, corn, jalapeno, and cilantro. Next, add salt and garlic to taste. I usually like things garlicky, but I like to let the flavor of the squash shine through on this dish--especially this time of year. So, I add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic and closer to a teaspoon of salt. Keep stirring occasionally so all the squash gets cooked through. When the squash is cooked and the liquid has thickened a bit, it is done. Roll the calabacitas in a tortilla with refried beans, shredded cabbage, and a little bit of salsa.

If your burrito has a blowout, you're on the right track.

Krispy Peanut Butter Balls

2008-07-23T15:30:00.005-06:00

Aspen had an additional cooking request for her visit: Krispy Peanut Butter Balls. They're simple, delicious, unphotogenic, and oh so bad for you.
1 stick of earth balance, room temperature
2 cups peanut butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar (can't remember, but this is just like the myriad 'buckeye' recipes online)
3 cups rice krispies
1 bag of vegan semi sweet chocolate chips

Mix together all ingredients except for chocolate chips. As gross as it sounds, I find it easier to mix well by using my hands. Shape into balls and refrigerate for an hour or so. Once chilled, melt chocolate chips in a double boiler (or, if you're like us and don't have one, use a pyrex bowl that sits inside a pan of water). Dip each ball into melted chocolate. We found that it was easier to accomplish this with less chocolate, so you might want to melt the chocolate chips in batches. Then refrigerate again until the chocolate hardens.

Cold Brewed Minty Iced Coffee

2008-07-17T09:17:00.003-06:00

Despite the attendant heat, I look forward to summer for many reasons. However, perhaps the best thing about summer (besides mojitos) is this drink: Minty Iced Coffee. I sometimes go to the local coffee shop for one, where it seems I've started a trend. The last time I was there 3 other people were also drinking coffee that looked strangely radioactive. But, most of the time I make it at home since finding a coffee shop that carries the right syrup can be hard. In fact, this summer I've taken to cold brewing the coffee, which produces coffee that is smoother than coffee brewed with hot water, and buying the syrup in bulk so I don't run out (I get mine at a gourmet kitchen shop but you can find it at some coffee shops and online). Getting up at 5:45 to get Aspen to swim practice at 6:30 requires sufficient caffeine. This ensures that I get her to practice on time and gives me the oomph to go for a run at such an ungodly hour.
Cold Brewed Coffee
2/3 cup medium ground coffee
a large mason jar
enough filtered water to fill the jar
Coffee filter or cheesecloth

I actually don't measure the coffee. I fill my grinder up with beans, grind them, transfer them to the mason jar, and repeat. I think it's around 2/3 cup. Fill jar with water, put the lid on, and shake. Let the jar sit overnight--unrefrigerated. Filter coffee into a pitcher. I use a mesh strainer lined with a a coffee filter. Then add some water to the coffee if you like. It'll be quite strong--depending on how big your jar is and how much coffee you used. I get a full pitcher of coffee out of this recipe.

For Minty Iced Coffee:
Fill a glass with ice cubes and 3/4 of the way with cold brewed coffee. Add soy creamer (about 3/4 inch), then pour in Torani Creme de Menthe syrup (you can use peppermint, which is easier to find, but I think it's too harsh) for a 2 second count. Mix and enjoy!

Raw Cashew Cheesecake (from July/August Vegetarian Times)

2008-07-14T11:18:00.004-06:00

Two cups of macademia nuts in the crust + a cup and half of cashews in the filling + 3 cups of berries for the top=EXPENSIVE

Plus, the recipe makes more crust than filling, so I pureed the berries to fill out the crust.

Overall, not really worth it.

Vegan Cream Cheese Wontons

2008-07-13T20:17:00.006-06:00

I grew up in a house that had a bar which had, in turn, a view of the kitchen. As a kid, I used to watch my mom cook and talk about whatever monumental event that occurred in my 8 year old life. However, I also sat at that bar when we made wontons. Back then, the wontons were filled with ground turkey, spices, and water chestnuts and pan fried to perfection. But, what I loved about making wontons wasn't what they were filled with, it was getting to take part in the process. I couldn't be trusted with kitchen utensils for the most part (particularly knives and my parents were sure I would fail miserably on dates when I got older since I was utterly inept with a steak knife), but I could be trusted with wonton wrappers, plates, a spoon, and a bowl full of water. I happily sat through the tedium of filling and folding wontons.

I still think of making wontons as a bonding experience of sorts and I've passed on the tradition (at least that what it seems to be becoming) to my daughter. Truth be told, I've mostly passed on the work of making wontons but I don't tell her that. The first thing Aspen said when she got here was that she wanted to make wontons. In fact, when pressed about what she wanted to do for 3 weeks in Colorado, making wontons was usually her first--and sometimes only--response. So, that's what we did. And they were perfect.

I only wish we had a bar.
Vegan Cream Cheese Wontons

1 package of wonton wrappers (Twin Dragon brand is vegan)
2 containers of Tofutti cream cheese
6 green onion, white and green parts chopped
water chestnuts, chopped (about the same size pile as the green onions or about 1/3 can)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
oil for deep frying

Mix cream cheese, green onions, water chestnuts, and garlic in a bowl. Individually fill the wonton wrappers with a spoonful of filling by dipping your finger into a small bowl of water, tracing the edge of the wrapper, and folding it in half tightly pinching the edges. Be careful not to overfill. Once they are all filled, deep fry at 340 degrees, keeping them submerged until brown. Remove from fryer and let cool on a paper towel.

Makes a lot--and yet not nearly enough.

$14 Baked Tofu

2008-07-07T15:11:00.007-06:00

When I finished coursework, I got the hell out of Dodge. Ok, it was actually Tucson, but it felt like hell and I skeedaddled. While once again residing in my parents garage, I started studying for comprehensive exams and, in order to not go bat-shit crazy, I got a job at a local coffee shop so I'd have contact with people. Said coffee shop was owned by a couple of vegans and they had a baked tofu wrap with the most delicious tofu in it. While I was eventually fired from that job--for reasons that still elude me though there was a veiled suggestion that I took $14 and I suppose a 30 year old grad student might look like the likeliest culprit--I do have fond memories of the tofu. Fond enough that I tried to recreate it despite the heat.
$14 Baked Tofu

2 lbs. extra firm tofu, sliced
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. white pepper

Whisk together all the ingredients--except tofu, of course--and pour into a flat bottom pan. The pan should be big enough to hold the tofu, but not so big that the liquid doesn't cover the tofu. Submerge tofu in liquid, cover, and marinate overnight (I put mine in the fridge). The next day, lay tofu out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes on each side (time depends on thickness of your tofu). Let cool and enjoy in a wrap or munch on them all on their own.

at least the food tastes good.

2008-06-30T20:51:00.004-06:00

"easy, cheap, and quick." i say as i plate the kale, white bean, tofu on top of brown rice and place it in front of thedalyn.

"just like my boyfriend." she returns.

perfect.

kale with with beans, tofu and brown rice:

rice:
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups water

get the rice going ahead of time. i can never figure out brown rice. it's either super undercooked and way nutty tasting, and i get impatient and eat it anyway, or it's mushy. i've yet to get it exactly right. except my now defunct rice cooker. if you can have the rice done before you start the other stuff, that's a bonus, so it'll cool down a bit.
you could also use any other kind of rice for this part, but we've been trying to use brown rice more than white, just cos...well, whitey must pay and all that.

other stuff:

1 bunch of kale--rinsed well, torn into bite sized pieces. i like to leave a little stem, to add some crunch.
1 block of tofu--the hard stuff--cubed into 1/2 inch blocks
1 can white beans-your choice--drained and rinsed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast--or more, to taste.
1 large shallot--chopped
3 cloves garlic--chopped
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
oil for sauteing

optional:
spike, soy sauce, earth balance can all be added to suit your taste. add these at the end.

once you've gotten the rice going/done, heat some oil for frying. saute the tofu until it's brown on at least two sides. add the garlic and shallot at this point, and stir so as not to burn the sensitive shallot and garlic.
once your kitchen smells nice and onion-y, toss in the beans and stir to mix everything around. it's ok if the tofu gets crumbly.
after a minute or two, add the kale, and cover without stirring for a minute or two, while the liquid from the other ingredients steams the kale. this will wilt it, and it won't take up nearly as much room in the skillet, which makes it easier to stir without sending kale off in all directions.
once it's wilted and manageable, stir it around to coat it. add the nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, and any of those optional ingredients...

top the rice with the kale mixture, and enjoy.

oh, and if you time the rice cooking time right, then your kale won't be as brown grey as mine. it still tastes good, though.

The Fridge

2008-06-30T15:47:00.007-06:00

There's a reason I haven't been posting lately:
After the BBQ last weekend, over-shopping, and not wanting to turn on the oven, we had a fridge full of food that needed to be eaten. So, the past week has mostly been variations on leftovers and sandwiches/wraps of some kind. Here are the highlights:
BLTA on a Jalapeno Cilantro Bun with "Tuna" Salad (from SBITK)
Easy Stir Fry with TJ's Harvest Grains Blend (based on Vegan Yum Yum's Sesame Soy Curls with Asparagus and Quinoa)
And....my Birthday Pizza!!!!

Vegetable Stock

2008-06-30T13:38:00.006-06:00

Though I haven't been posting, I do feel like I've spent a lot of time in the kitchen. And, apparently, I'm not the only one to think so. Josh had a couple of friends over on Saturday to do some print screening and I took advantage of the time to tinker around in the kitchen. Nothing big, mind you, just cleaning, cold-brewing some coffee, making iced green tea, grinding cumin and coriander, refilling spice jars, making some egg salad and tuna salad, throwing together some veggie stock, and then finally putting together an easy stir fry for dinner. All in all, I probably spent 4-5 hours in there just getting little things done that I'd been putting off. It was nice, actually. However, my time in the kitchen didn't go unnoticed.

Dan: "You know, for a liberal, you sure have your girlfriend in the kitchen a lot."
Josh: "I let her out when you guys leave."

At least I wasn't barefoot too. The kitchen floor is STILL too dirty for that.
Crockpot Veggie Stock
(This is all approximate since I throw veggie trimmings and whatnot in a freezer bag to use later, so whatever I have goes in: asparagus, kale stems, etc. These are the basics that I add to.)
1 potato, quartered (or peels if you saved them)
1 small parsnip (mine is in the form of peels and trimmed off ends)
1 onion, quartered
1-2 carrots
1 small stalk celery
1 stalk of broccoli
5-6 sprigs of parsley
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
a couple tbsp. tamari
some peppercorns
salt
enough water to fill the crockpot

Put all the ingredients in the crockpot (6 quart works best), then fill the rest of the way with water. Turn crockpot on low and leave overnight/24 hours. If the broth is strong I sometimes spoon some out, add some more water, and cook a while longer--stretch it out, if you will. Fill cream cheese containers (which hold exactly one cup) and freeze. To get the stock out, let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes, then simply pop out the frozen cup of stock.

Here, in the only organized corner of my freezer, you can see the 1 cup servings of stock and the freezer bag full of trimmings (on the left).

Wilted Kale Salad

2008-06-20T11:23:00.002-06:00

So, Vegan Tickles tried out this recipe and gave it a big thumbs up, so I thought I'd try it. The dressing is, as she points outs, divine. I actually wish I hadn't added it to the kale. The salt in this recipe--which is used to wilt the kale--was so overwhelming, it was almost inedible. And don't let the recipe fool you: 4 bunches of kale is indeed a shit-ton of kale (which is why, I'm assuming, it calls for 2 tablespoons of salt!).

I thought/hoped/wished that adding the kale to something else would diminish the saltiness a bit, so I made a wrap using toffutti sour cream, kale salad, pinto beans, and cholula. Tasty. But, still waaaaaaay too salty. And I have a whole lotta kale salad left. I'm not sure what to do with it...

Chickpea Chimi

2008-06-18T20:15:00.006-06:00

As with most things, my intentions started out good. I went for an easy four mile run, ate a healthy lunch, and then went downstairs to do some work--only to encounter technology problems. Which, I guess, is just as well since the run kind of made me tired anyway. So, I laid down for a nap instead and slept with the cats for an hour (speaking of, have you seen our newest member?). I woke up renewed and decided that burritos sounded like a good idea for dinner. Perhaps even ones that make use of chopped up cauliflower instead of rice. The cauliflower worked wonderfully. I felt good about making healthy choices. I tasted the burrito filling...and decided it would make an even better chimichanga. Sigh.
Chickpea Chimi's
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 head cauliflower, obliterated by the food processor (it should be in little chunks)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups 505 green chili sauce
1 can diced roasted green chilis
1 1/2 tsp. cumin (fresh ground if possible)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup shredded vegan cheddar
4 flour tortillas
Oil for deep frying

Saute onions in oil until they begin to become soft. Add bell pepper and continue sauteing until cooked. Add cauliflower and a couple of tablespoons of water. When cauliflower begins to soften, add 505, chilis, cumin, and garlic powder. Let cook until most of the liquid is gone. Stir in chickpeas and shredded cheese. Heat through. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro. Roll in flour tortillas and deep fry (you could also eat this as a burrito but it really is better as a chimi). Top as you like. Enjoy.*

*I can't help but feel that this recipe is missing something. I liked it but it was slightly bland to me (which is why I added the cheddar which I don't like all that much). If you have any ideas, I'd be happy to hear them...

Soundtrack: Momofuku by Elvis Costello and the Imposters

Catching Up. Kind Of.

2008-06-18T13:09:00.003-06:00

Between going to California, recovering from the Mud Run (which I'll blog more about in a bit), having a birthday, and life, I haven't been doing nearly as much of, well, anything. So, I thought I'd at least throw a few tasty morsels your way in the mean time. First, I can not overemphasize how much I liked the Coconut Green Curry from the last post.In fact, I made a stir-fry with the leftover sauce and served it with wontons .For my birthday, Josh said he'd cook whatever I wanted. I wanted pizza. The problem is that I finally decided what I wanted at 6:30 on the night of my birthday and the Teese and sausages were still snug in the freezer. He's promised to make me pizza sometime later this week and I instead settled on the Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry from Veganomicon since we had everything to make it. He even went all out and made the Roti to go with it, which I had already almost finished when I remembered to take the picture.
And, since I just got back from a run--albeit a fairly easy one--and I'm once again trying to get my ass into shape, I made the "Tuna" Salad from Skinny Bitch for lunch. It's one of my favorite recipes in the book.Now I just have to get through the rest of this summer class, a visit from Aspen, and a dissertation proposal by August. No sweat.

Cauliflower Cakes

2008-06-10T20:00:00.006-06:00

I left for California last Thursday and returned yesterday morning just in time to teach my class. During those 3 days or so, Josh was left to fend for himself (as were the cats apparently). Fending for himself generally means eating bags and bags of chips with whatever he can find to dip them in: 505, salsa, hummus, you name it. However, he managed to go a step further this weekend.

Some time ago, Josh bought a generic can of tomato sauce from Costco and then froze the entire thing in our freezer thereby turning it into a tomato glacier. I often wondered how he'd portion it. Now I know: he didn't. Apparently, all he ate this weekend was pasta (the pasta I like of course--not the pounds of elbow macaroni he bought on sale that I won't eat) and that glacier. Unfortunately, the mushrooms, onions, zucchini, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, nor spinach made it into the pasta he made. So, I arrived home to find a fridge full of nearly rotting produce and Josh not feeling so well (shocking). Fortunately, Vegan Tickles had a post about these cauliflower cakes. After much thought, I decided to serve them with this coconut green curry sauce which I made with soy milk and a little corn starch to thicken it up. The sauce was much more sophisticated than our normal green curry mixed with coconut milk and the cakes were filling and delicious with a delicate flavor. Now I've got to muster up the energy to freeze all those blueberries that didn't get eaten and figure out what to do with the broccoli and squash tomorrow...

Tuna Casserole

2008-06-05T16:09:00.003-06:00

Ok, it's not a tuna casserole, but I decided to make this because it reminds me of the tuna casserole (tuna, cream of chicken, corn tortillas, a jar of salsa, milk, and a whole lotta cheese) my mom used to make that I loved so very much. I tried to replicate it once with Tuno, but it was a disaster. I wouldn't even let anyone else try it. This recipe, however, came really close. I think it needs a bit of tinkering, but it definitely satisfied the craving. Josh loved it.

BBQ Sandwich...

2008-06-03T20:42:00.005-06:00

...a test recipe from Happy Herbivore's upcoming cookbook.
But the fries are no secret: sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, hot paprika, and olive oil baked to perfection.

Sweets

2008-06-03T18:15:00.004-06:00

I've been totally slacking for the past week or so--mostly because I started teaching again. Unfortunately, I had to prepare for a new class (sadly, no more TV class) and I sacrificed cooking. However, I was struck with the rare (we're talking Chinese White Dolphin rare) craving for something sweet last week. It was so bad that I was even almost undone by the blueberry coffee cake at Starbuck's (yes, we were at Starbuck's after entering an unknown part of the burbs on our bikes--it seemed to be the only choice). So, I promptly--after 2 days and a total loss of willpower--made the blueberry coffee cake from VwaV. Totally worth the wait.
I followed that up with a delicious date shake (soy vanilla ice cream, almond milk, and medjool dates), which effectively alleviated my desire for anything sweet for about the next year and half.

Memorial Day and Comfort Food

2008-05-28T13:59:00.004-06:00

We had great plans for Memorial Day: ride into Boulder, hang out at the Boulder Creek Festival, watch the Duck Race, grab some dinner at the new Mexican joint in town, and then catch a relatively early showing of Indiana Jones before riding home. That was the plan. Instead it went something like this: ride into Boulder as it starts to sprinkle, walk around the festival as it continues to rain harder, get so cold and hungry that we decide to get some lunch and skip the ducks, dash out of lunch in time to get the bus that already has two bikes on the rack, figure when the next bus is (one hour!), ride to the bus station as our shoes get ever squishier with water, wait for a different bus in the rain, get home, take shower, jump around in pain as hands and feet feel like they're on fire, and collapse on the couch to watch American Fliers.

Needless to say, I was too cold and tired to make dinner. And, yesterday the weather continued--more rain and 40 some-odd degree nastiness. So, I decided that it might be one of the last times a casserole is in order for quite some time and decided to try making a baked fettucinni casserole with asparagus and garlic bread. It tasted really good, but the color leaves a lot to be desired. It turned a strange shade of gray somewhere in the process. Gray isn't the best color for food.
Baked Fettucinni Casserole
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1 can white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne
pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with a little bit of water
1/3 cup faux parmesan

Asparagus mixture:
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch of green onions, whites and greens finely chopped
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon

1 lb. fettucinni
Bread crumbs for topping

Combine first 7 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to sauce pan, add cornstarch, and cook over low heat stirring until it thickens. Take off heat and fold in the faux parmesan. Meanwhile, blanch asparagus in a bog pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove from water with slotted spoon and run cold water over asparagus. Cook fettucinni in leftover water leaving it slightly under done. In a frying pan, saute green onions for a minute, ass asparagus and saute for another minute, then take off heat and add lemon zest and juice. Combine the noodles, sauce, and asparagus mixture (mixed well) in a baking dish, cover with bread crumbs and cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Roasted Garlic Oil and Puree:
Several heads of garlic, cut horizontally
Olive oil
1 tsp. peppercorns
Several sprigs of fresh thyme

Arrange cut garlic flat side down in a baking dish and cover with olive oil (it should be at least half an inch deep). Add peppercorns and thyme. Bake at 300 degree for around 50 minutes.

There are several things you can do at this point: I think it would be lovely served straight from the oven as a dip for a party. You can also strain the oil and use it in toasted bread as I did to go with the casserole. And, I also removed all the cloves and pureed them for future use.

Potato Spinach Soup with Stuff

2008-05-25T18:58:00.004-06:00

I spent a good part of the evening Friday making up three different batches of sausages (apple sage, spicy pinto bean, and pepperoni) and, by the time I'd finished that, I didn't want to make dinner. But, I did. Somehow despite my apathy, I ended up elbow deep in the midst of a culinary experiment. It started out simple enough--as these things are wont to do--and ended with a potato spinach soup topped with white beans, zucchini, and apple sage sausage. It was tasty, if a little schizophrenic, but I think it could be fabulous with a few tweaks.

But, as I said it started out simple enough. I sauteed an onion and three cloves of garlic and then threw in 3 cubed Yukon gold potatoes and covered them with water. Then I remembered the half head of cauliflower in the fridge, so I cut that up and threw it in too (with fresh ground salt and a good amount of pepper). When those were done cooking, I added 2 cups of spinach. Then, I remembered the bag of basil we have sitting in the fridge. Since our basil seedlings are just starting to sprout, we bought a huge bag at Sunflower for some other recipe. So I added a half cup of basil to the soup.

As I was slaving away over potatoes and sausages, Josh was in garage playing with a bike he dumpstered. As the greens are wilting, I am momentarily dismayed by our traditional gender roles. Then I notice how dirty the kitchen floor is under my bare feet. Someone should really sweep.

Finally, I turned off the heat altogether and pureed it with a hand blender. It was really good, but I really never find smooth soups satisfying no matter how good they are. I need chunks. My sausages finished steaming. I glanced at the leftover white beans I had from the apple sage sausages. I shrugged and went for it. I sauteed the white beans, two cut up apple sage sausages, and a zucchini in some olive oil with crushed red pepper and tossed that into the center of the bowl of soup.
I think I would make this again, but I'd definitely make the soup a mash/puree instead. I would also leave the basil out of the puree and saute it with the stuff on top and use a sausage that is just generically spicy as opposed to having such a strong specific herb flavor. So, while this was good, I think the changes would make it great.

And, for the record, Josh did the dishes--though the floor is still dirty.

Burrito con Applesauce

2008-05-22T22:31:00.009-06:00

In her youthful rebellion against meatloaf Thursday's and canned vegetables, my mom developed a taste for Mexican food--the spicier, the better--as soon as she left home. In Southern California, this mostly took the form of quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, and chile rellenos. However, she had her hands full with a husband, a full-time job, and a particular child with a love of semantics. As a result, she usually made what was easy: burritos. These particular burritos were nothing more than ground turkey, refried beans, a taco seasoning packet, and a jar of hot salsa mixed together and stuffed in a tortilla with cheese. I ate these burritos for dinner several times a week and they often doubled as my latchkey kid after school snack. The only problem for me was that they were very, very spicy--at least, they were for a 7 year old kid--and my mom had no sympathy whatsoever. So, I learned to adapt (it was either that or, as my mom made clear on many occasions, starve). But as much as I loved burritos, I think I may have loved applesauce even more. Combining them seemed like a natural solution, especially since the sweetness of the applesauce cut the tear-inducing spiciness of my mom's rebellion.

Perhaps it was the stormy weather or the fact that I haven't been home in a while (though I will be in 2 weeks!), but today I was craving comfort food. And, for me, there's nothing more comforting than my mom's burritos smothered in applesauce. I know, I know, it sounds disgusting and maybe it is...but, I love it. So, I decided to replicate it in a way that's a little more sophisticated (but not too much) than the burritos I loved so much as a 7 year old.

Burrito Filling:
1 cup TVP
2 cups water, boiling
1 onion diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 handful sweet corn, frozen
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
2-3 tsp. ancho chile powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne (adjust to your likeness if omitting applesauce)
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 can refried beans

Combine TVP and 1 cup of boiling water in a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium size sauce pan, saute onion and garlic until onion starts to get translucent. Add green bell pepper and corn and cook for a few minutes more. Next, add the rest of the ingredients, except refried beans, and bring to a boil. Then reduce to simmer and cook until the liquid is pretty much gone. Add refried beans, mixing well, and heat through. Put some of the burrito mix in a tortilla and and top with unsweetened applesauce.

Josh likes this burrito filling on top of chips with nacho cheeze. There's no accounting for taste.

Roasted Polenta and Sausages

2008-05-20T10:02:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was another beautiful day and I managed to fit in both a run and a short bike ride. The reason for doubling-up was that I felt super crappy on my run and ended up only going about 2.5 miles. I blame the weekend diet of chips and salsa, though running at high noon probably didn't help. Anyway, I did make this wonderful pomegranate green tea with lemon and mint to stave off the heat of the day and try to rejuvenate myself. I certainly needed it after that lame attempt at exercise.
After the bike ride (an easy 12 miles that felt much better than the run and alleviated my guilt), I finally got around to making some more sausages. I decided that I wanted to make a black bean chipotle sausage and the end result is pretty good, though I think it still needs some tinkering. This is simply a variation on the seitan sausages making the rounds:

1/2 cup black beans
1 cup veggie broth
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. tamari
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. adobo
1 tbsp. liquid smoke
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. onion powder
pinch of salt
fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. I find that kneading the mixture with my hands is the most effective--and most messy--way. Divide into 4 equal portions and wrap each portion in foil like a tootsie roll. Steam for 40 minutes.
For dinner, I roasted some polenta, green pepper, purple potatoes, and zucchini which I sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with chili powder (425 degrees). I then added the cut up sausage and topped with leftover enchilada sauce from the other night. Attempting to clean out the fridge never tasted so good.

Weekend Eats

2008-05-19T10:12:00.004-06:00

It was a long, busy, beautiful weekend. Saturday, Josh was tabling at a Community Cycles event where I joined him later in the day after a leisurely ride. There's nothing more indulgent than 30 miles on your bike through rolling pastures on an 80 degree day. Since we missed the farmer's market, we decided to go to Sunflower. We managed to spend $50 on produce which, if you're familiar with Sunflower, is a lot of produce. Luckily, Josh is the only one with a trailer hitch on his bike, so he got to lug the watermelon, honeydew, and other assorted heavy produce, including these potatoes who vigorously mock their humble reputation, 12 miles home.
And yesterday we basically worked on the yard all day. I'm pretty sure the last tenants completely ignored it and we easily have as much grass as weeds. In retrospect, it doesn't actually seems like that much (and most of it was enjoyable), but it felt like it. As a result, both Friday and Saturday night we had chips and salsa for dinner. The salsa was straight from a jar. From Costco. It was one of those nights--or, actually, several of those nights.

So, last night I decided to carry on the theme in a more sophisticated manner and do a test recipe from Happy Herbivore's upcoming cookbook. I even got to play with some of the produce Josh was nice enough to haul home. Granted, Josh likes anything that includes using chips as a shovel, but we both really liked this festive dip. It was good and filling.

keen-wha?

2008-05-15T22:45:00.005-06:00

I don't know why I don't cook with quinoa more often. It's easy, relatively cheap, and always good. Oh, and its hard to screw up. It cooks pretty fast, but is easy to keep from overcooking. "Forgiving" is a good word to describe it, if you've never used it.

Tonight's dish is from Veganomicon. It's the Pineapple Cashew Quinoa:

There's quite a bit of prep, since there's a bunch of ingredients, but it's pretty straight forward once you've got it all chopped and sorted, like Isa recommends. The few times I've spent some decent time prepping the food before I get to the cooking part, it's always much more enjoyable, as I can just dump little prep bowls filled with measured ingredients into the pan as I need them, instead of hunting down and measuring spices while things that cook fast um...cook fast. I should remember that next time I'm cooking.

The dark green stringy things might be my favorite part of the dish. The one-two punch of basil and mint taste amazing, and the way they cooked down after chopped added something to the look of the plate.

The one thing I'll do differently next time is make more of it. I'll probably double it, so as to have leftovers. There just wasn't enough.

Soundtrack: Destroy Their Future by American Steel

Moroccan Phyllo Rolls

2008-05-15T22:28:00.005-06:00

I've been eying these moroccan phyllo rolls for quite some time. Somehow--mostly due my own fear of phyllo in all honesty--I've managed to put them off and now it's just about past the roasted vegetable time of year. So despite my very legitimate fear of phyllo, they came out good. I didn't even mind the fennel which, as it turns out, is the stuff that grew in the fields behind my house growing up and we used to punish kids by making them sit in big batches of it when they were tagged out. But, the seasoning was perfect and they mostly stayed together despite the fact that I forgot to protect the phyllo and ended up cobbling pieces together with olive oil to make frankenphyllo.
The balsamic maple sauce was a different beast altogether, but I blame the balsamic. When we moved into together, I entered this sinful situation without balsamic in my pantry. I'd finally run out of the fancy stuff I bought for far too much money at a tasting and was steadfastly refusing to replenish my stores at the *gasp* grocery store. Josh, however, came with some. I quizzed him on the quality, which he guaranteed was good, but it wasn't. It smelled like 7 week old opened wine. I don't know why I believed him, though. The man doesn't even like balsamic. Great.

Red Bean Dal and Freezing Broth

2008-05-14T21:30:00.010-06:00

I was looking for something easy today after taking a nap that intruded way into my cooking time (I think seeing multiple snakes today on my run wore me out) and I came across Robin Robertson's recipes on the Humane Society website. The quick red bean dal is quick and delicious and doesn't photograph worth a damn.

Oh, and I made a convenient discovery today. I made a batch of veggie broth in the slow cooker and have been experimenting with various ways to freeze it (our muffin tin finally gave up the ghost--or the rust actually). It dawned on me that the Tofutti cream cheese containers are perfect. I go through tons of cream cheese and have ended up with more empty contianers than I know what to do with. Now I know: the 8 ounce size is perfect for freezing broth.

Enchinachos; Or, Enchiladas Gone Terribly Wrong

2008-05-13T19:54:00.006-06:00

I wasn't going to post this, but what the hell. I started off trying to make the veggie enchiladas from Skinny Bitch but, honestly, the sauce turned out terrible; in fact, I fed it to the compost worms. I used different mild chiles than the recipe called for, but I'm not sure what went wrong since it said any mild chile would do. So, instead, I ended up making the enchilada sauce from Veganomicon which turned out great as usual (it's the only enchilada sauce I really like). Since we were out of chile powder, I decided to go ahead and make some with the leftover anchos from the sauce disaster.
Unfortunately, the disaster continued past the initial attempt at sauce. The enchilada filling came out fine, but no matter how long I soaked the corn tortillas in the new sauce, they didn't want to stay in one piece. So, frustrated and totally over enchiladas, I gave Polly the dog three broken enchiladas for dinner, threw the rest of the filling on a pile of chips with FYH cheddar, baked it, and topped it off with the rest of the good enchilada sauce and green onions. Hence, enchinachos.

Grapefruit Spoons

2008-05-09T13:57:00.005-06:00

A little while back, Patty and I were discussing the extinction of grapefruit spoons (is it just me or did everyone have grapefruit spoons in the 80's?*) and she took it upon herself to bring them back singlehandedly by getting me two as a moving out gift. I've finally gotten around to using them. And, they are absolutely as cool as I remember.
*I wrote this blog while eating wheat thins (albeit an organic/whole foods version of them) and listening to the Go Gos. Alas, I am not drinking Tab.

Chickpea Tacos

2008-05-07T20:43:00.009-06:00

Since I spent the entire day completing the training for my summer gig (when I really should have been at our program retreat), I had absolutely no desire to cook anything that required work. Having now seen/heard/come across several references to these chickpea tacos, I thought they sounded like the perfect ending to a tedious/warm/ rainy day. And, they were.
Soundtrack: Breakfast at Tiffany's (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Skinny Bitch Goodness

2008-05-06T21:45:00.008-06:00

I was inspired by Happy Herbivore's attempt at Pad Thai recently; and, I was also inspired by our conversation about Skinny Bitch. The first result of such inspiration was a batch of 'egg' salad (the umpteenth batch I've made in the past few months). It now officially gets more requests than my spinach artichoke dip and, since it'd been about 3 weeks, I decided that it was time for another batch. So, I made a double batch which will probably make it about 3 days knowing Josh. He doesn't eat it in these dainty bite-sized portions.
On the other hand, the Pad Thai is something I've never even considered. Unlike the rest of the population, I don't like peanuts in my food. It's just wrong. (I also don't like chocolate, but that's a different blog.) I think it actually came out pretty good and the mint garnish really made it worthwhile. But, I'd totally leave the peanuts off next time.
Soundtrack: Give 'Em Enough Rope by The Clash

Grilled Corn

2008-05-05T13:57:00.003-06:00

The market also had fresh corn on sale, which I couldn't resist. I also couldn't resist dressing it up just a little. So, after cleaning the corn, I brushed it with melted Soy Garden butter, lemon juice, and fresh cilantro and mint. Then, I threw it on the top shelf of the grill for about 20 minutes. The flavor was pure summer, though I'd probably brush on the Soy Garden mixture after it cooks next time.
Soundtrack: Dap Dippin by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

BBQ

2008-05-05T13:50:00.003-06:00

Finally. Finally, the weather is nice and looks like it might just stay that way for a while. Though, given that this is Colorado, I've learned--ok, more like I'm learning--that it's not likely. This past weekend was beautiful though, and we decided to put the grill left at the house by the last tenants to use.
The market was having a fantastic sale on peppers and we needed to get rid of some of the produce we had on hand, so we decided to skewer it along with the last of the frozen sausages and call it a day. It was simple and tasty and healthy.

Mulligatawny?

2008-05-01T21:35:00.007-06:00

Josh emailed me before the day was even halfway over: "I just want to crawl back under the blankets..perhaps with some soup." Given that we had several warm beautiful days in a row only to awaken to a day covered in snow, I knew exactly how he felt. So, I thought I'd make some soup for dinner to make the day just a bit nicer. Since I haven't made mulligatawny in just about forever (and it's one of my go-to recipes), I picked up the goods for that. And it really did start out as mulligatawny, but I'm not sure it ended up that way. Somehow, it grew to unnatural proportions, though it did maintain its deliciousness.
A Whole Lotta Soup
1 onion, chopped
1 sweet potato, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tbsp. flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. curry
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
4 cups water
1/2 cup chutney
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup of red lentils, rinsed
2 cups seitan, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 can coconut milk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 large handfuls of spinach, torn into bite-sized pieces

In a large soup pot, saute onions in a small amount of coconut oil until they start to turn translucent. Add sweet potato, carrot, bell pepper, and celery and cook until veggies start to soften. Then add flour and all the spices, coating veggies. Cook two more minutes. Add water, chutney, tomato paste, and lentils. You may need to add a little extra water as lentils cook. When lentils are almost soft, add seitan and continue cooking until lentils are fully soft. Add coconut milk, lemon juice, and spinach. Stir, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. It's particularly good garnished with cilantro.

Soundtrack: International Pop Overthrow by Material Issue

Kitchen Sink Pasta

2008-04-29T20:59:00.014-06:00

While quick and easy might be the theme, saving money is the goal. So, tonight I wanted something that was not only easy, but also available without a trip to the store. In this house, that inevitably means Mexican food, but I also wanted to use the tomato sauce that was slowly aging in the fridge and the pounds and pounds of pasta spilling out of the cupboard. So, I came up with this: some kind of mexican-y pasta. (That was kind of anticlimactic.)

Sauce:
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup roasted salsa
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
A couple dashes of Cholula (or another hot sauce)

Combine in sauce pan and heat on low for 10-15 minutes.
"The Meat":
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 package frozen pepper/onion mix
2 handfuls frozen sweet corn
2 vegan sausages, torn into big chunks
1 package of pasta (cooked according to directions)

Saute pepper/onion mix and corn in a small amount of oil until water evaporates. Add garlic and sausages. Cook until the sausage gets a little crispy. Add cooked pasta to the sauce. Serve pasta topped with veggie/sausage mixture. It helps if you can eat it on your porch in 70 degree weather. I'm just saying...

Presto! Pesto.

2008-04-29T20:43:00.008-06:00

I'm starting to feel like the theme is quick and easy (which *ahem* is nothing like yours truly). But, given it's the end of the semester, I guess I'm not surprised. So, a couple of nights ago I defrosted on container of pesto (I make a huge batch and then freeze portions in leftover Tofutti cream cheese containers) and broke out the soy curls and gnocchi.
1. Saute: 1/2 white onion (cut into thin moon slices) until translucent
2. Add: 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 1 bag frozen cauliflower (chopped)
3. Once cauliflower is heated through, add: 2 small zucchini (sliced), 2 cups rehydrated soy curls, and 1 package cooked gnocchi
4. Cook 2-3 more minutes, then add a 1/2 cup of pesto. Cook until everything is heated through.

There you have it: fast food at the palace.

Green Curry

2008-04-28T11:58:00.004-06:00

Yet another curry and coconut dish: green curry, tofu, cauliflower, squash, and edamame. This one Josh made days ago, took a picture, and then talked about putting it on the blog.It never actually made it to the blog under his volition.

Coconut Red Lentil Soup

2008-04-27T10:23:00.004-06:00

Yesterday we were still recovering from the party. Since I had no desire to go to the store and not an iota of creativity in me, I flipped through some cookbooks looking for recipes that called for ingredients that we already had. This Coconut Red Lentil Soup from La Dolce Vegan was the winner. Served over rice, it really hit the spot. Unfortunately, it also really looked like puke. The picture does not lie. But, can you ever really go wrong with coconut and curry?

Black Bean Salsa

2008-04-26T21:43:00.003-06:00

So, last night was our housewarming party and it was a smashing success. A lot of people opted to bring booze instead of trying their hand at vegan fare, but there was still plenty to go around. I think we had about 40 people here--along with 2 dogs that thrilled the cats to no end. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures. I just didn't feel like spending the party behind the lens, so there isn't documentation of the food or festivities. But, I did make a spinach, artichoke, and Teese quiche, which turned out edible despite the fact that I completely forgot to add the cornstarch. And, Josh made some delicious black bean salsa.
If he ever gets off his non-blogging ass, he might actually take the time to leave the recipe that goes with this picture...

Spinach Salad with Tempeh

2008-04-22T21:01:00.005-06:00

Tonight I was dining solo (Josh's company had a party celebrating Earth Day, so he was MIA), and I wasn't feeling like doing anything fancy since I spent most of the day cleaning and getting ready for our party Friday. And, because I'm feeling stubborn about losing weight at the moment, I decided that a spinach salad was just what I needed.
Clearly, it didn't take much effort. Simply layer the following ingredients on top of each other in the order listed:

Handful of fresh spinach
1/2 cup tabbouleh w/ mint and pistachios (from this month's Vegetarian Times)
3 strips of tempeh (pan fried in oil, tamari, minced garlic, and coriander)
A drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette
Diced Avocados

Vegan Chipotle Ranch

2008-04-22T18:08:00.003-06:00

Today's post-run snack: veggies and chipotle ranch. I made a big batch of regular ranch and chipotle ranch the other day, which is great to have around for quick snack. But, I'm kicking myself for not thinking to put it on last night's taco salad.
In a food processor, combine:
1 lb. silken tofu
1 1/2 cup vegenaise
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbsp. fresh cilantro, torn into little pieces
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. rice syrup
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce

Taco Salad

2008-04-21T20:08:00.005-06:00

Well, the winter has been unkind to me. I've managed to put on 10 pounds since the holidays, and even riding 120 miles and running 10 miles last week couldn't put a dent in it. The scale did not budge. It didn't even flutter in one direction or the other. So, I thought I'd try to eat something that can at least be construed as healthy (we tried a new mac and cheese recipe last week and a delicious coconut curry, which apparently undid my best efforts at exercise). This taco salad* is simply TVP and kidney beans with salad fixin's. Simple, but good.
1 cup TVP
1 cup water
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 tbsp. tomato sauce
1 tbsp. Cholula (though I suppose any hot sauce would do)
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. hot paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt to taste

Small head of green lettuce
1 tomato, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
vegan sour cream
cilantro for garnish

In a frying pan or skillet, saute the onions in a small amount of oil until they are golden brown. While the onions are cooking, boil the water in a medium sauce pan. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and add the TVP. Stir until the water is absorbed. Add the kidney beans, tomato sauce, Cholula, and spices. When the onions are done, add them to the TVP mix and stir well. Put the TVP on top of a bed of lettuce and top with sour cream, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, and a dash of hot sauce.

*Inspired by Yellow Rose Recipes.