this kitchen is delirious

a thousand words

2009-10-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Here I am in grad school. I am still eating. I am still in love with vegetables.

This autumn I specifically fell in love with romanesco broccoli and chanterelle mushrooms, from the farmer's market and self-foraged respectively.

I am working very part time at KBCS, the local community radio station. Every time I turn around, I reel over a new voice. Some of my favorites this year were

Raphael Saadiq,

Pieta Brown,

Zoe Muth and The Lost High Rollers,

and
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros.

I go to school every day and talk about oppression and racism and sexism and privilege and politics and poverty and homophobia and able-ism and wealth and equity and love and ethics. It's overwhelming, but a great luxury all the same. Sometimes it feels hard to come up for a breath out of it all. But I promise I'm still eating.

Crostini with roasted garlic and carmelized onion white bean dip,
basil, and cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and roasted red pepper.

subsistence

2008-09-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Autumn has officially arrived, but I'm still scrambling to the farmer's markets for the final berries of the season. Though berries should be relished in their naked, sweet beauty, they also go awfully well in baked goods. And because this blog has seemingly defaulted into very occasional showcases for sweets, I give you...fruit...on cupcakes.

I happened upon this, my favorite cupcake, last year in an attempt to perk up some birthday fare with spare blueberries. I arrived at the perfect concoction of spicy gingerbread, creamy vanilla bean frosting, and fresh, bursting blueberries. I can't express how much I love these things. I am a staunch advocate of leaving most of the baking for the blustery winter months when a hot oven is a welcome addition to a chilly apartment. But because fresh fruit is a summertime indulgence, the oven is turned on in reverence for the seasonal window when I can adorn cakes with the perfect garnish.

Cherries are not berries, of course, but they are a fruit which I do my darnedest to fill up on before they've disappeared for another year. These chocolate cherry creme cupcakes were the finale in the four dozen donated to an auction winner for Northwest Network. Dark chocolate cupcakes filled with saucy cherries and vanilla buttercream. Shamefully, I didn't log two batches of cupcakes: I also made another round of Fauxstess cupcakes and followed those with chocolate cupcakes filled with peanut butter buttercream. Auction winners like their chocolate, I suppose.

Needless to say, I've fallen awfully behind in these blogging endeavors. Other things have been keeping my attention.

cupcakes for a cause, season 2

2008-05-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

45 minutes spent cracking hazelnuts.

For the second year, I donated four dozen vegan cupcakes to an auction for the Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian, and Gay Survivors of Abuse. Last years cupcakes raised $120. I was just pleased to break a hundred. This year, I busted out the big spoons and, as evidenced above, spent a Saturday morning putting blood and sweat into a damn fine dozen of cupcakes.

Hazelnut Cupcakes with Hazelnut Mocha Mousse,
Ganache, and Toasted Hazelnuts

And it paid off; this years cupcakes brought $175 in the live auction. And apparently, another mysterious baker donated a matching set, although I'm not exactly sure how that worked. At any rate, it's still a screaming deal. Each cupcake comes to just above $3.60, hand delivered with aplomb. The hazelnut troops I baked for the auction were amazing (thanks to the reigning queen of vegandom.) So much so, that I had to make a second batch a week later. And I'd like to think that the flavor bursting from these little bombs was thanks to their made-from-scratch attitude. Not only were the hazelnuts cracked out of their shells instead of poured from a stale plastic bag, but they were toasted and then pulsed into meal for the cake (also, I'm frugal and didn't want to spend 10 dollars on a bag of hazelnut meal of which I needed only a fraction.) So, indeed they were worth every penny that went to the Northwest Network.

tides turning

2008-05-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Cake.

I'm in love with food. I could spend hours scrutinizing over the details of a menu. There is nothing I would rather spend my money on. There is nothing that I find so satisfying as feeding my friends and family.

I've felt more interested and involved in my food than ever. But as I'm buying raspberries out of season and spending $30 on a bottle of balsamic vinegar, there is a food crisis going on. While I'm baking a yellow cake, frosting it with vanilla buttercream, and feeding those untimely berries to my friends at a birthday party, others are eating cakes made from dirt and oil in hopes of evading the pangs of starvation while the price of rice skyrockets around the world. At my job, I talk to people who need to know which food banks are open, how to apply for food stamps, or where to go for a hot meal. And even when they can manage to receive public assistance, they can't stretch those food stamps far enough.

Access is everything. And because I have it, I want to help others to get it. I want to bake cakes; I want to plant a garden; I want to buy the freshest vegetables I can get my hands on. I want to stomp on the rules that keep everyone from having this access. Changing public policy around food security issues; changing the face of agriculture to re-harness power for small farmers; providing nutrition outreach to low-income communities where convenience stores are more prevalent than supermarkets with fresh foods.

There is much to be done.

All of this is to say that my relationship to food is evolving. I can't sit still in my own kitchen, my own garden, my own co-op. There is an incredible imbalance going on in the world and I won't feel right if I'm not trying to change that.

the autumn that was eaten by time

2008-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

I suppose I owe an update. I started a new job in late August at Seattle's Crisis Clinic. I like my job, especially the folks I work with, but it has me plastered to a computer and telephone most days. As such, I'm not much for coming home and spending my free time in front of a screen. Rest assured, I have been cooking and baking and, yes, I have been eating. The holidays rushed by and we made batches and batches of cookies, cake, and appetizers. Of course, I have no pictures to show, save one. But while I may not have documented just what we made, ate, and gave away, I'd still like to touch on a few events that stood out for me in the last few months of 2007 (naturally, all food related.)

the greatest cookbook of all time

Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero made this world a better place with the unveiling of Veganomicon. It's as if Vegan With a Vengeance and the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook had a beautiful, fuss-free baby. Thus far, I can highly recommend the Caesar Salad with Roasted Garlic Croutons, the Black Bean Burgers (even better after a spell in the freezer--how many recipes can you say that about?!), Roasted Eggplant and Spinach Muffuletta Sandwich, Black Bean Vegetable Soup, Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe with Rotelle, and the Pumpkin Crumb Cake. Absolutely amazing. So far, I've also given away two copies as gifts. If you knew what was good for you, you'd get yourself this book too.

I don't have pictures because I was too damn busy cooking, but Thanksgiving was, to put it lightly, an event. My parents in their first holiday season as vegans, were slated to cook Thanksgiving Dinner for 35 people. Chris and I were put to work. We were like a well-oiled machine. A very messy, flustered well-oiled machine with 35 guests milling around us while we put the finishing touches on a huge feast. It wasn't, unfortunately, entirely vegan or even vegetarian. There was a turkey or two and a few potluck dishes here and there that made their way to the buffet. Some of my aunts and uncles pitched in with herbivore dishes, but mostly we banged out a pretty, pretty, pretty good selection of dishes: 2 sorts of stuffing--one with Gimme Lean and the usual mix of veggies, one with herbed croutons, dried cranberries, dried blueberries and pistachios, pumpkin seed crusted tempeh, fresh cranberry relish, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, homemade rolls, green bean casserole, cheesecake with raspberry sauce, pumpkin pie with candied pecans, and peanut butter silk pie. And probably some other things that I'm forgetting. It was a helluva lot of food and people. But by now, feeding a crowd is second nature to us (almost.)

The day after Thanksgiving, my grandma, Corriene, turned 85. She is partially responsible for the onslaught of relatives that my holidays become--she has six children and countless grandchildren (and, for that matter, 12 stepchildren and more countless grandchildren.) She is an incredible lady whom I've mentioned once or twice before. She raised lots of kids, fed them well, made their clothing, and taught them to be stand-up people. But that's what you can expect from my grandmother.

Here's my dad blowing out the candles on a cake that my grandma undoubtedly made for his birthday. Like most large families, food was always a focal point at gatherings. Her 85th was no disappointment; we converged after having eaten our guts out the day before and rose to the challenge of doing it one more time, just for grandma. My dad put together a slide show of old pictures (like the one above) and it ran in the background while everyone ate, drank, and sat a little too close together.

Here are her first five children all lined up for a holiday snapshot. I didn't make it home for Christmas this year, spending it instead with the in-laws. A small, quiet day for the most part--a nice change of pace from dozens of relatives, though I did miss being at home with my folks. Chris and I, as is the norm, baked up a crazy mess of treats to shuttle around to our friends, mail to other states, and take piles in to our respective jobs. We made chocolate chip cookies, pistachio baklava, soft molasses cookies, oatmeal jam thumbprints, fig bars, and sugar cookies. We ate more than our share of sweets and still had leftovers!

You may be thinking this is all heresy. Flimsy claims to have made all this food with no photos to back them up. Well, then. I was able to snap a photo of a dessert made for some lovely friends' "Boozy After-Holiday Extravaganza." We were subjected to lots of delicious vegan desserts, lots of, you guessed it, booze, and lots of friends. It was a fine evening. My contribution was a tiramisu, procured from the pages of the Candle Cafe cookbook and tweaked to suit my own tastes.

Layers of sponge cake drenched in coffee and rum, vegan mascarpone, cocoa powder and chocolate curls for good measure. And it sat perfectly on a lovely tray that was a gift from my bestest gal.

Now, don't expect much from this small gesture of a post--moving apartments is in the works for the next few days and being in transit doesn't make for very elaborate dinners or desserts. We'll only be moving a few blocks away and one of the most exciting bits of our new apartment: a full-size oven. Take that, tiny little stove! Unfortunately, this will be my first apartment without a bit of space on a deck where I can grow some greenery. In homage to my garden and in commemoration of the oncoming shorter days and (bit by bit) warmer weather, I'll give you one more photo of my last little heirloom tomatoes (two of just a few that made it out alive) from this summer.

(For a couple 2007 recaps that are a little more thought out than the previous, see Democracy Now! and Feministing. Happy 2008!)

the baby of cakes

2007-10-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

Clearly this blog has fallen by the wayside. I've a new job that's keeping me busy and our oven is not working which has put us on baking hiatus. But one event that did happen this month ,which I was able to bang out a cake for, was my niece's first birthday.

It's not often that I have an excuse to make a giant cake. (This was the equivalent of 48 cupcakes.) Four layers of vanilla cake, vanilla buttercream, blackberry preserves, and colored sprinkles! An abundance of pink, yes. Aside from upholding gender paradigms (gotta start em early, right?), I wanted to make the quintessential big birthday cake. And in the cartoons, they're always white with pink frosting. They're also usually two or three tiers, but I didn't figure a one-year old needed that much cake.

Especially since she was really only interested in the frosting.

looking for something

2007-09-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

In beginning to document my food, I've learned I do things in seasons. When it is cold, wet, blustery outside, I make the indoors cozy with the scent of cookies or soup. I can spend an evening on a cake or cooking food for a party. I'll labor in the kitchen because there is no other place I'd rather be. That is, unless the sun is shining and my time is open and my head is aching from the city. Then I'll take green green green as far as the eye can see. I will point to this weekend as a perfect example. Best friends with their backpacks stuffed into a small car driving into the woods is better than pie. Hiking miles into the wilderness on a dusty trail is better than cupcakes. And just about anything you can cook on a whisperlite stove tastes better by the campfire.

Red Onion, Green Pepper, Avocado, & Tomato

I'll take the woods over concrete buildings any day you ask. And if I'm living in the woods (even just for a night) out of the back of a car, I won't complain. Backpacking, though, has a special charm. It makes one feel resourceful and tough. You have to think more, make lists, pack sparingly because you must carry it all on your back, on your own two legs. This is true especially of the food you take. Whereas packing in a car, you can add bags of chips, boxes of cookies, and bottles (and bottles) of wine, the food you take in your backpack must be more closely calculated. On this trip, a one-night stay near Greenwater, Washington, on the Pacific Crest Trail, we took a small supply of trail mix, Primal Strips, apples, crackers, hummus, and the fixings for burritos.

We "roasted" a green pepper and red onion. In this, I mean we laid them on the rocks around our campfire until we could stand our growling stomachs no longer. They were just beginning to blacken at the edges. We warmed our tortillas in a similar fashion and boiled water to add to instant black beans. With a small can of salsa to round out the burritos, it was some of the best damn camping food I've had. Everyone ate their fill and it was a perfect meal to top off a three-mile hike.

Just because we were backpacking, does not mean we should go without a sweet trifle after dinner. One chocolate bar split four ways and a few sips of coffee went well with the trance of flames.

Cream & Peebs, sans backpacks

The next day, after eating the last bits of our food and packing our bags, we trekked the three miles back to the car and drove East for some sightseeing. We hiked a few more trails in search of a view of the mountain and, though it felt especially nice to walk without thirty pound packs, our short jaunt yielded little, but more trees and a beautiful blue sky. So back in the car and, after a minute or so of driving, we hit the jackpot:

Mt. Rainier

We couldn't have asked for better weather and it was all around a perfect trip. After the first full week at a brand new job that can, at times, make my head spin, this was a badly needed detour from Seattle. And hopefully illustrates to you an agreeable alternative to things like baking and blogging.

cupcakes for a cause: the final dozen

2007-08-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

Mint Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes
with Vanilla Mint Buttercream

Long overdue, here's a photo of the last batch of cupcakes I made for the Summer of Cupcakes Auction Winner to benefit the Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian, and Gay Survivors of Abuse. Dark chocolate cupcakes with mint extract and roughly chopped bars of Endangered Species Dark Chocolate with Deep Forest Mint, topped with minted buttercream and another wedge of chocolate for good measure.

With all the auction cupcakes ferried away I have to bake for selfish reasons now. Like my own stomach. Thankfully, I'm armed with a circle of friends, sweet tooths all of them.

sweet valley high

2007-08-15T08:54:00.001-07:00

One weekend last month, we went on an adventure with two dear friends; our goal was simple--find wine and drink it. Chris and I drove to the oasis of Olympia where we were treated to a fine, heaping barbecued dinner straight off the grill and a huge bottle of wine. With the question of where exactly we wanted to look for wine looming before us, it only made sense to sip the stuff while we pondered our next day's journey.

In the last decade, Washington wineries have been sprouting up in every nook and cranny of the state. From Olympia, we could toss a rock in any direction and it might hit a bottle (granted, we'd have to be able to toss really far.) After considering going south to Oregon, north to Skagit Valley, and various Eastward routes, we settled on one destination: the Yakima valley.

Although we set out to make a weekend of wining, it seemed to me that we spent more time deliberating over food. As a vegan (or even vegetarian), eating anywhere to the east of the Cascade Mountain Range, can prove difficult. After searching downtown and eschewing a ritzy, inauthentic Mexican joint, we fell upon this gem: Tequila's. Located in two old train cars with a big wooden deck surrounding the restaurant, we ate our fill of chips with salsa and pico de gallo. What's more, the vegetarian section of the menu offered more than just the requisite burrito: i.e. the elusive veggie chimichanga.

And now, food aside, let me tell you about our bittersweet trips to the wineries. Our first destination was Sagelands Vineyard. Everything we tasted was great, the woman who helped us was terribly friendly (so friendly that she was telling us about her laser arm pit hair removal!), and the showroom was devoid of the cheap kitsch that some wineries tend toward.

I could really get behind this place if not for one little detail that got under my skin. It seemed wonderful at first--they were offering snacks in return for a donation to the Humane Society of Central Washington. I was pleased as punch until I began to inspect the snacks. The food that really bothered me was set out on a plate next to the register closest to the donation can--mini hotdogs. Offering dead animals as a means to secure donations for other animals is such a backwards, disconnected practice of hypocrisy.

I didn't say anything and Chris still bought two bottles of their wine--Merlot and a blended Red Table Wine. But, suffice it to say, we probably won't be going back there.

Merlot from Sagelands Vineyard
with Poppies and Persian Violets from our garden

The second winery we visited, Windy Point, had a beautiful view of the valley. And that's about the nicest thing I can say about it. I would've liked their wine, would've even bought a bottle or two, but we were snubbed for a bachelorette party in summery, spaghetti-strap dresses. I guess our tattoos and jeans weren't up to their expectations.

But thankfully, a good time is not made in purchases. On our way home, we stopped at fruit stands for peaches, berries and corn and took a detour to make a scenic trek up through a pitch-black cave in the Wenatchee National Forest. And then, finally back in Olympia, we bookended the trip with one last barbecue. In spite of the snooty winery and nasty hot dogs, it was a lovely weekend all in all.

one more garden shot: Persian Violets (or Love in a Mist)

cupcakes for a cause: part 3

2007-08-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Fauxstess Cream Filled Cupcakes

The third installment of vegan-cupcakes-as-auction-prize for Northwest Network. This week: the final dozen (mint chocolate chunk.)

If you have a moment, read Emilie's post on (200+ amazing) cupcakes for a cause and her thoughts on veganism and animal testing.

After a busy month of leaving town nearly every weekend and spending as many afternoons in the sun as time would allow, I've finally got some spare moments. The weather is cooling today and the ripe bananas on my table tell me some bread is in the works. Perhaps you'll be seeing a bit more of me. Or rather, a bit more of my food.

like a year without summer

2007-07-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Summertime meals beckon to be eaten outside and I find myself preferring portable dinners in weather that just can't be wasted at the dinner table. While pasta is nothing extraordinary and not quite fit for a beach picnic, it is portable insofar as my back porch is concerned. This was the perfect meal for a July evening. Linguine with tomato sauce (the simplest I've made in a long time and perhaps one of the best--canned tomatoes and paste with sauteed onion and garlic, salt and pepper, a dash of brown sugar, and garden fresh herbs--rosemary, thyme, oregano and basil) and mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette. The key here to a perfect dinner, if one so desires and against what MFK Fisher advises, is a quiet back porch, two or three chairs (two at least for you and a loved one to settle into, an optional third as a table or cat perch) and a good glass of wine to sip after you've cleaned your plate. Preferably, wine will be taken with a green view of your garden, though a patch of grass or a blooming window box will do as well. No TV blaring, no lawnmowers growling, and no talk of work. Just food and wine and air.

salad, salud

2007-07-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

Produce from our Full Circle Farm CSA box: baby bunch carrots, celery, broccoli, green beans, sunburst squash, roma tomatoes, purple onions, cauliflower, red beets, romaine lettuce, garnet yams, limes, and cherries.

It's my mum's birthday today (first as a vegan!) and, though there are no cupcakes to show for it, here's a brightly colored salad. That's festive, right? If you squint your eyes it sort of looks like confetti. Confetti with beans... Happy birthday, Mom.

Fresh Corn Pico de Gallo
(dressed up here as a salad
with pinto beans, lettuce, and avocado)

I could eat this every damn day. It's certainly a summer dish, one that should be thrown together when you can find corn on the cob in season (or in your garden!) You can mix black or pinto beans into it for a little added protein.

Fresh Corn Pico de Gallo
makes 6-8 cups

2 ears yellow corn on the cob, husked
4 tomatoes, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper (orange, red, or green: you pick!)
2 cups finely shredded green cabbage
4 oz. pickled jalepenos, diced (reserve juice)
juice of 2 limes
salt and freshly ground pepper
large bunch cilantro, chopped

Bring salted water to a rolling boil. Cook corn for 8 min; remove and let cool until easily handled. Using a sharp knife, shave kernels from cob. Add fresh corn to large bowl with remaining ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste (though I recommend heavy on the pepper.) Let chill 4 hours or overnight. Tastes best next day. Serve with tortilla chips.

you would find them smiling

2007-07-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

Summer months are not so conducive to bloggery. More so, the hot months are best used out of doors, in parks or on porches, drinking iced beverages and eating picnics. And growing green things. None of which call for a computer, as evidenced by my lack of posts. Further evidence:

Exhibit A: Nasturtiums.

Edible petals that I have, thus far, preferred to look upon in their red and green backyard patch. Rather than eat them, that is.

Exhibit B: Strawberries.

Less sweet than their supermarket brethren, the flavor in these small berries is richer and redder off the vine than out of plastic.

Exhibit C: Picnic Food.

Tempeh Bacon Pocket Sandwiches
with Romaine Lettuce, Tomato, & Avocado
Spring Potato Salad

(pictured on the table, but taken
with some evening sun on the porch.)

Spring Potato Salad

8 medium red potatoes, cooked and cubed
1 bunch radishes, roughly chopped or quartered
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
2 dill pickles, chopped
12 oz. firm tofu, crumbled
3/4 cup tofu mayo (Vegenaise!)
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon paprika
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

Mix the Vegenaise, mustard, celery seed, dill, paprika, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the tofu and then toss with the remaining ingredients. Chill a few hours or overnight.

cupcakes for a cause: part 2

2007-06-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

I lied. I said no more sweets and what do I do? I make cupcakes. I swear I've been eating real food; it just hasn't been very noteworthy. Cupcakes are always noteworthy. These are especially so as they were the second dozen in an auctioned-off set to benefit Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian and Gay Survivors of Abuse.

This is one of a dozen lavender-infused chocolate cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting. The granulated sugar in the cupcakes and the powdered sugar in the frosting sat for a couple days mingling with dried lavender flowers. I'd never used lavender as a culinary ingredient and I was pleasantly surprised with the effect it had, though it was almost too subtle in the chocolate to even detect its presence. The cream cheese frosting showed it off nicely however (inspired by lovely cupcakes elsewhere.)

But really, next post won't be cupcakes. Or cake in any form. It won't even contain any damn sugar! Promise.

(On a side note, though it clearly wasn't for the occasion, this cupcake is vicariously dedicated to my dad who had his first birthday as a vegan yesterday. He celebrated with tofu and veggies, like any good herbivore. Next up for a vegan birthday: my mum...)

eat yr greens

2007-06-22T13:38:00.001-07:00

Our first CSA box in a month of being out of town far too much: bunched carrots, red radishes, Ataulfa Mango, yellow spring onions, baby bok choy, black plums, pears, garnet yams, celery, red beets, snap peas, romaine lettuce, and spinach.

cake or death

2007-06-20T13:21:00.001-07:00

One would think that I subsist on cake and cake alone.

Rasberry Coconut Layer Cake
with Coconut Buttercream

Sometimes cake is needed for no reason at all. Case in point: some homemade raspberry preserves that had sat in my cupboard for too long, begging to be baked into something sweet. The cake was coconut milk-based with whole raspberries and shredded coconut folded in and then filled with preserves.

Grandma's Texas Sheet Cake
(gratuitous full sheet shot)

This was another go at sheet cake (not that the first wasn't good to the last crumb.) Although this one gets an honorable mention because it was served with good tea to my grandmother, from whence the original recipe came.

Sugar Soldiers:
Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream

And though these aren't anything new, especially in the spreading cupcake-craze, I still think nothing beats the cupcake for a small package with punch. They're hand-held, boast a perfectly proportioned frosting to cake ratio, and damn cute to boot.

We're getting a box of veggies tomorrow, so perhaps I'll have something besides sweets to show for it.

all green

2007-06-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

the first peas

There's something infinitely comforting about tending to a garden. Pulling sucker leaves off a tomato plant or weeding a parsley patch. There are not a great many things that will make me forget that I live in a city of half a million people. Reminders abound in the traffic on the street, the views of cramped buildings, the overcrowded lines at the market. My backyard, though, is a respite from the constant bombardment of people people people. Focusing on something as minuscule as a violet's first sprouting leaves is my salve. And finding the first sweet peas of the summer is more intoxicating than drowning in the beer and buzz of any swarming city bar.

all the greatest things are simple

2007-05-30T13:05:00.001-07:00

Texas Sheet Cake

This may not look like much. Sure, it lacks swirls of frosting, layers upon layers of delicate cake, and sparkling garnishes. And though I'm sentimental about it, as it was another of my grandmother's tried and true recipes--the requisite Fourth of July Barbeque dessert, it really is the perfect down-home, fork-free cake. This is what you eat sitting in the grass, your fingers smeared with chocolate, and the sun burning your nose. Chocolate cake, plain and simple. Take it to a picnic, barbeque, or horde the entire 18 x 13 inch cake for your own grubby little hands. Oh, and lest I forget to mention, pictured with the cake is a scoop of unbelievably amazing vegan cookie dough ice cream.

Texas Sheet Cake
serves a whole buncha people

1/2 cup soy margarine (Earth Balance)
1 cup water
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups unrefined sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkg silken tofu (Mori Nu), blended well
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour

Lightly grease a 18" x 13" jelly roll pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, combine margarine, water, and cocoa powder. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Let cool slightly and carefully pour into a large bowl (that won't melt. Don't use plastic.) In a small bowl, whisk oil, sugar, blended tofu and salt together. Whisk into cocoa/water mixture until well combined. Using a whisk or fork, stir baking soda into flour and then fold this into the wet ingredients until just combined. Pour out into greased pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake in center of oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Prepare icing while cake cools on rack.

Texas Icing

1/2 cup soy margarine (Earth Balance)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 tablespoons soy milk
1/2 lb powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Heat margarine, cocoa powder, and soy milk in heavy saucepan over medium. Whisk until melted; remove from heat. Stir in sugar, one cup at a time until combined. Stir in 1/2 cup walnuts. Pour over warm cake and spread carefully with a spatula. Sprinkle on the remaining nuts.

(For the sake of posterity, I will mention that the original recipe uses sour cream and scads of butter. I've also made this cake using vegan versions and exact measurements of "sour cream", margarine, and egg replacer. I've found that using tofu in lieu of sour cream and eggs works wonderfully, as well as replacing a bit of the butter with oil, so that the use of processed goods is toned down just a touch.)

slave to the kitchen

2007-05-30T12:57:00.001-07:00

Potato Samosas with
Three Seed Braised Cauliflower and Wild Rice

I did not make any of these recipes up. The samosas are from Vegan With a Vengeance, as is the cauliflower, sort of. I decided not to add tomatoes to it and referred to the recipe a bit while making it up as I went. I also made a tamarind chutney to go with the samosas. All in all, nothing terribly creative on my part. However, I felt the need to post a picture because this meal somehow took me three effing hours to make. So, you know. Just a little something to show for my troubles.

plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches

2007-05-30T08:16:00.001-07:00

Carrots, cauliflower, green bell pepper, sweet onions, Gala apples, red potatoes, salad greens, snow peas, celery, yellow peaches, Abate Fetel pears, purple garlic, and mango. Nearly the end of May and we're coming into true CSA season. Go find one near you.

It's also the season for Farmer's Markets. Seattle has several and on Sunday we went to the Broadway Market. It was a drizzly morning (thankfully, only a rainy punctuation in a long row of sunny days) so we didn't spend too much time there. I was pleased to find that the market was clearly focused on food and not overpriced hippy artistry (all well and good in its own place, but not necessarily something I want to navigate while I'm gazing at local foods.) We bought a jar of spicy pickles from an older couple giving out samples of their jams, jellies, and pickled treats. And we couldn't pass up some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from a farm in Ellensburg.

The signal that summer produce is about to come pouring in. Pictured is a Black Krim, Green Zebra, and...I don't remember which particular yellow tomato this is. We have some starts growing for Brandywine, Costoluto, Persimmon, and Black Krim varietals in the back yard. But that's a drop in the ocean of heirlooms. If you can find heirloom tomatoes, eat them as simply as possible to taste the delicate flavors. We cut them up and tossed them fresh with pasta and tempeh sausage. Eaten on the porch with a glass of wine in the cooling evening and reading a book for dessert is just about the nicest meal I can think of.

do not forsake me, oh my darling

2007-05-24T09:31:00.001-07:00

I always mean well. I acquire fruit intending to eat it fresh and then it sits and sits and sits. I bring the fruit to the brink of collapse and then stick it in the fridge to prolong the inevitable. The inevitable can be one of two things. The eviler of the two being that the fruit becomes so overripe and bruised that it is discarded as useless. The finer and thankfully more likely of the two is that the fruit that nearly met its peril, is baked into something sweet and good. Example: four Bartlett pears on the verge of death. Solution:

Upside-Down Pear Tart

4 large pears
1/4 cup soy margarine (Earth Balance)
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pastry crust:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
scant 1/4 cup soy margarine
scant 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
3-4 tablespoons cold water

Assemble pastry crust: whisk flour and salt together. Add margarine and shortening in large chunks. Cut in fats with a pastry cutter, a large fork, or your fingers until a consistent crumb forms. Sprinkle in a couple tablespoons of cold water at a time and toss with a fork until dough is just moistened and holds together, but is not wet. Do not overwork the dough, or it may become tough. Turn out on floured surface and knead just a few times to bring it together. Form a ball and set aside.

Peel, core and quarter pears. Melt margarine over medium heat in a well-seasoned 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet (I can't vouch for this recipe using non-cast iron: do so at your own risk...) When margarine is fully melted, stir in suger. Arrange pears cut-side up, wide ends pointing outward, in skillet and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cook for 10-20 minutes until sugar cooks into a deep caramel. Remove from heat and cool pears completely.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out pastry dough on a floured surface to a 10 inch round. Place over pears and tuck edges inside of pan. Bake until pastry browns lightly, about 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack for 5 minutes. Place large rimmed platter over skillet and invert carefully, using pot holders to hold platter and skillet tightly together. Serve warm with vanilla soy ice cream!

the freedom dip

2007-05-21T19:55:00.001-07:00

Herbed Focaccia Bread

I've been hankering for a French Dip sandwich for a few days now. And not just any old. I've been dreaming about a certain 12 dollar sandwich found at a certain fancy lil restaurant. But at the moment, spending twelve dollars on a sandwich would be a poor decision on my part. So I had to make do with something a little more homemade.

I banged out a couple rounds of focaccia today and used the seitan that I baked last night. This is me jumping on the baked seitan blogwagon. It's everywhere. And well it should be. Boil your seitan no more.

Seitan Portobello French Dip with Carmelized Onions

French Dip Sandwiches
serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon maple syrup
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 portobello caps, thinly sliced
2 cups seitan, thinly sliced
2 cups water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon soy margarine (Earth Balance)
salt & pepper to taste
crusty bread for 4 sandwiches

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy skillet (preferably cast iron.) Saute for about ten minutes until onions begin to turn translucent and golden. Drizzle the maple syrup in and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and portobello slices, combine well. Add water and soy sauce and bring to a slow simmer. Add margarine and salt and pepper to taste. Add seitan and cover skillet for 5-10 minutes until seitan is thoroughly heated.

Toast bread, if desired. Using tongs, heap seitan onto a piece of bread. Smother with mushroom and carmelized onion and top with a second piece of bread. Serve with a small bowl of the cooking broth for dipping.

"is that what I ask for? the Big salad?"

2007-05-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

Tempeh Taco Salad

Tempeh Taco Crumbles, a variation on Isa's Tempeh Sausage Crumbles, would be great in a tortilla of course. But we sorta forgot tortillas for this meal. Which was okay, because these made a damn good taco salad. Along with the Tempeh Taco Crumbles, we ate big happy bowls of red leaf lettuce, tomato, avocado, red onion, kidney beans, salsa, chives, and radishes. Topped off with ranch dressing and some purty purple chive blossoms just because they're blooming in the back yard. And tortilla chips to stand in for the long lost flatbread.

Tempeh Taco Crumbles

1 pkg tempeh
water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1 teaspoon sage, dried
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Crumble tempeh into a heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) and add water just enough to cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes and drain any remaining water. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for another three minutes. Some tempeh crumbles better than others--if your tempeh still looks like individual beans, you can use a potato masher or a fork to give it a more crumbly texture. Cook until just beginning to brown. Serve warm.

from asparagus to zucchini

2007-05-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Though I haven't posted one in a while, we've still been getting our beloved CSA boxes of organic produce. This week we were treated to zucchini, Bartlett pears, snap peas, spinach, yellow onions, red radishes, green leaf lettuce, broccoli, garlic, Russet potatoes, avocadoes, baby bunch beets, asparagus, and a tasty little mango (that met it's demise before I took this picture.)

The sun is shining brighter (or at all, this being Seattle) and you can hear lawnmowers in the afternoon all around the neighborhood. We've planted a few things in our little urban garden and there's a P-Patch on the other side of the fence that is full of things like chard, berry bushes, and dill. And the surest sign I've seen that summer is on it's way was a sighting of the season's first ice cream truck, complete with photos of popsicles pasted on it's rickety sides. Frozen treats are all well and good, but I'll be happier when I can pluck tomatoes from my backyard.

cupcakes for a cause

2007-05-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

Mocha Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

These cupcakes were donated to a benefit auction for The Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian, and Gay Survivors of Abuse. The lucky winner took a dozen of these puppies home with a promise of a summer's worth of cupcakes: one dozen each in the months of June, July, and August. I was pleased to hear that they brought in a whopping $120 for the NW Network. The recipes are, of course, from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Indeed, they will.

(See the cupcakes I made for June, July and August.)

chippendippery

2007-05-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

White Bean Dip with Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic
Baked Tortilla Chips & Nicoise Olives

Ah, bean dip. It can be dressed up or down. Consumed while wearing sweatpants on the couch and watching bad television or eaten on little crackers on a little plate at a fancy cocktail party. This particular bean dip falls somewhere in the middle, say, at a picnic with a gingham tablecloth and a thermos of lemonade.

White Bean Dip with Sundried Tomato & Roasted Garlic
makes about 5 cups

4 cups cooked white beans (or 2 cans drained & rinsed)
2 heads of garlic
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, dry or oil packed
1/4 cup olive oil (plus extra for roasting garlic)
large handful Italian parsley
juice of 1 lemon
salt & pepper to taste

Roast the garlic. (Directions, if need be.) Squeeze the cloves from the skin and set aside.

If using dry tomatoes, place them in a small bowl. Pour boiling water and a drizzle of olive oil over them and let sit 10 minutes. Drain and roughly chop.

Using a large food processor (or a hand-cranked food mill), process all of the ingredients until well combined and no large bits remain. Cover and chill overnight or for several hours.

Baked Tortilla Chips
serves 2-4

(3) 12" flour tortillas
4 tablespoons olive oil
nutritional yeast
salt & pepper
garlic powder
chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the tortillas into triangles (or rectangles) and lay in a single layer on a large baking sheet (you'll need to repeat the process for the full batch or use two baking sheets.) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Bake in oven about ten minutes until the chips are just beginning to color. Turn with a spatula and bake another 5-10 minutes until they reach desired baked-ness (dark and crispy or light and chewy!) Eat 'em up and store any leftovers in an air-tight container.

imitation as flattery

2007-04-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

Artichoke Croquettes with Spanish Pardina Lentils,
Citrus Slaw and Sweet Chili Sauce

For a birthday dinner a few weeks ago, I was treated to Cafe Flora by my in-laws. Cafe Flora is a classy vegetarian joint in Madison Valley with nice lighting and a menu that's nearly impossible to choose from, only because everything will make you want to lick your plate clean. This is my reincarnation of the dish that I ordered. Cafe Flora has a cookbook out and presumably you could spend twenty six dollars for the authentic recipe. Or you can skip the bill and use this one, which I think came pretty damn close. And I promise it's a lot easier than it looks. As an added bonus, you can lick your plate clean in the privacy of your own home.

Artichoke Croquettes
serves 4

1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, or 2 cups frozen art. hearts, thawed
1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, packed tightly
3 green onions, trimmed & roughly chopped
1 tablespoon capers
1/3 cup vegenaise
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

Coating:
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Using a food processor, mince the artichoke hearts, onion, red bell pepper, green onions, capers and cilantro; combine in a large bowl. (If you don't have a food processor, of course, you can also finely chop the vegetables with a knife.) Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should stick together enough that you can form small, delicate patties in your palm. However, if it seems too runny, feel free to add more breadcrumbs.

In a shallow bowl, combine coating ingredients. Using portions of about 1/4 cup, form the artichoke mixture into patties and dredge in breadcrumbs to coat. Place on baking sheet 1 inch apart. This should yield 16 croquettes. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping them carefully after 15 minutes. They should be just turning golden brown.

Citrus Slaw

2 cups carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 cups jicama, peeled & cut into matchsticks
2 cups red cabbage, finely shredded
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons unrefined sugar
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
salt & pepper

Toss the vegetables to combine. Whisk remaining ingredients together; salt and pepper to taste. Toss dressing on vegetables and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Pardina Lentils

Pardina lentils are a bit nuttier and smaller than your everyday lentils. I found them in the bulk section of our co-op. Feel free to substitute small green French lentils or even regular lentils if you can't find these.

1 cup Spanish Pardina Lentils
1 cube vegetabale bouillon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups water

Combine everything in a pot on the stove. Cover and bring to a boil; turn heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Sweet Chili Sauce

You can find bottled sweet chili sauce at most grocery, health or Asian food stores.

3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
juice of 1 lime
black pepper to taste

Combine and set aside.

(Game Plan: Prepare the citrus slaw first thing and set aside to chill in the refrigerator. Prepare the croquettes and while they're baking in the oven, cook the lentils and prepare the sauce. Strain the lentils and place in a mound on the plate; top with three to four croquettes and a helping of the slaw. Serve chili sauce on the side or drizzled around the lentils.)

get sauced

2007-04-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yam Tofu Enchiladas with Spinach
Refried Black Beans

Yams make everything better. Pool parties, milkshakes, Easter baskets, enchiladas. Yams, yams, yams.

Yam Tofu Enchis
makes 6 big arse servings

3 cups peeled & diced yams (about 2 medium)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 green pepper, seeded & chopped
12 oz. tofu, pressed & crumbled
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles, fresh or canned
4 cups enchilada sauce or (2) 15 oz. cans, divided
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach
(6) 12" flour tortillas

yeast sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup enchilada sauce (from above)

salsa
chopped cilantro, garnish

Grease a large baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add chopped yams and cook for 5-10 minutes until just tender. Remove from water and drain. Set aside.

Heat heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium. Add olive oil and diced onion. Saute for 3 minutes or until just softened and turning translucent. Add garlic and green pepper; saute for another minute or so, add cumin and stir to coat. Add crumbled tofu, cooked yams, 2 cups (or 1 can) enchilada sauce, nutritional yeast, and green chiles. Combine and heat through. Set aside.

Prepare yeast sauce. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir with a whisk or a fork until incorporated. Whisk in soy milk, a few tablespoons at a time. Whisk in nutritional yeast until combined adding more soy milk as needed. Whisk in enchilada sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. You may want to add more soy milk or nutritional yeast to reach a desired consistency for your own tastes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Fill a tortilla down the center with the yam tofu mixture, fresh spinach, and a healthy drizzle of yeast sauce. Roll up the tortilla and place seam side down in baking pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Top with the remaining enchilada sauce (there should be about 1 1/2 cups left) and spread any remaining yeast sauce over the tops. Cover with foil and bake for about 20 minutes or until the sauce around the edges is bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with salsa and refried beans.

orange you glad

2007-04-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

Grandma Corriene's Orange Sweet Rolls

I used to eat these things like there was no tomorrow. I seem to remember them popping up often as Spring rolled around. So shall you ever tire of cinnamon, oranges make a mean roll too. Although, you best not be afraid of sugar if you want to make this recipe.

Dough:
2 cups warm water
1/2 cups unrefined sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup powdered soy milk (plain)
1/2 cup blended silken tofu (Mori Nu)
1/2 cup soy margarine, softened (Earth Balance)
7 to 8 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Filling:
1/2 cup softened soy margarine
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups unrefined sugar
zested rind of 1 orange

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
juice of 1 orange (about 1/4 cup)

(1) 9x13 baking pan or (2) 9" round pans, lightly greased

Mix sugar with warm water in large bowl. Add yeast. Mix in salt and powdered soy milk. Add blended tofu and softened margarine until combined. Add 2 cups of flour at a time, up to 6 cups. Add the last cups one at a time until you have a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface, sprinkle on some more flour and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and round. Place in a greased bowl in a warm place* and let rise until doubled.

Combine ingredients for the filling with a fork.

Turn dough back out on a lightly floured surface and punch down. Divide dough in half and lightly roll/pat each portion into a 7x14" rectangle. Spread each rectangle with the filling, leaving a 1" border on the side furthest away from you. Roll up the dough starting on the end nearest you. (You can roll it up either the long or the short way--the short way will yield about a dozen big rolls and the short way will yield many small rolls.) Slice the log into 1 inch pieces and place them in prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are just golden brown. Cool on a rack for about 10 minutes. Combine ingredients for icing and drizzle over the top of the warm rolls.

The filling is very marmaladey, but you could probably get by with half as much if you wanted to cut down the sugar. Not that should. Just sayin'.

*When I need to raise dough, I stick it in a non-reactive bowl (such as ceramic or porcelain), covered with a clean kitchen towel, and put it in the oven. Set a timer for 5 minutes and turn the oven to warm. When the timer goes off, turn off the oven, and reset the timer for 20 minutes. When 20 minutes are up, turn the oven back to warm, the timer back to 5, and start all over again. Do this until your dough looks sufficiently risen. This takes a little more attention than just letting it sit somewhere for 2 hours, but it usually gives me a faster, more productive rise.

life by chocolate

2007-04-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

Cappucino Cake with Espresso Cream Filling & Chocolate Buttercream

I haven't made a cake in months (bundts don't count), but I thought Chris's birthday was as good an occasion as any to start up again. This was a cupcake recipe translated into a four layer cake. It was mother effing good.

Lefty sniffing at birthday cake. She didn't get to eat any.

finger lickin' good

2007-04-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

Mashed Red Potatoes with Miso Mushroom Sauce
Fried Chickun

I don't agree with everything that PETA does, but they do give out a mean mock fried chicken recipe. (And, I noticed while searching for the recipe, there's an interview with Isa from the PPK that's worth your time.)

The taters are mashed with soymilk, olive oil, salt'n'pepper, and a little margarine. The mushroom sauce is courtesy of Chris.

one pot shop

2007-04-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

Yam Stew with Lentils & Chard

The nice thing about soup is it cleans out your cupboards of riff raff.

Yam Stew
serves 2-4

1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yam, peeled and diced
1 carrot, scrubbed and diced
1/2 cup wild & brown rice mix
1/2 cup dry lentils
4 cups water or broth
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 to 2 stalks rainbow chard, roughly chopped
2 tofurkey italian sausages
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
salt'n'pepper
Chopped parsley, optional garnish

Heat oil in a pot over medium; saute onion in oil until it starts to soften, perhaps 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute or so. Add yam and carrot, saute just a while longer. Add water or broth and bouillon. Add lentils and rice. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 20-30 minutes or until lentils and rice are cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut the sausages in quarters lengthwise so that you have eight long pieces. Dice
pieces. Heat oil in a skillet, preferably cast iron. Add diced tofurkey and saute. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until most of the pieces appear crispy on all sides. Remove from heat and set aside while stew continues to cook. (Don't worry about keeping them warm--the stew will sufficiently heat them right back up.)

When lentils and rice are just finished cooking, or very near so, add the chard to the pot. Stir to combine well and cook another 30 seconds or until the chard is wilted to your liking. Serve in bowls topped with sausage bits and a sprinkle of parsley.

(This stew would also be delicious with either canned white or black beans. If using canned beans, add them halfway through the rice cooking time. Also, any hardy green can be substituted for the chard.)

hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear

2007-04-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Onions can be bothersome, boring vegetables. Sure, they add a depth of flavor to just about anything you can throw in a pot. But I've cried over many an onion and they're easy to take for granted. Wandering in the produce section, it's not the onion pile that I ponder over. Red, white, yellow--they're good, but surely not fit to be the star of the show. And just when I thought I had conquered the onion kingdom...

Somehow, everything becomes more desirable in miniature. Pearl onions: the last frontier.

Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Pearl Onions and Fennel
Roasted Acorn Squash
Spinach Salad with Cracked Pepper & Dill Ranch

There are simple bits to this meal. Acorn squash roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spinach salad with carrots and French Breakfast radishes. And ranch. I'll admit that I like to make fun of America for it's obsession with ranch dressing. This country seems to think that it goes with everything. I swear I've seen it on apple pie. I will also admit that if I could order it with French fries everywhere I went, I probably would. So maybe my scorn is born of jealousy. At any rate, it's amazingly easy to throw together at home. Vegenaise with a little soymilk, fresh pepper, garlic powder, dill and chopped parsley. Might I also suggest pesto ranch? Try it on ice cream!

The wild rice salad was not so simple. You'll need some time to put everything together, but the result is worth it. I thought about stuffing the squash in the last few minutes of its roasting, but decided not to, though it would have been good. Judging by the soft mood lighting in the picture, this would make a delightfully romantic dinner right before you divulge to your lover that you're having his dead brother's baby.

Wild Rice Salad with Roasted Pearl Onions and Fennel

3 cups wild rice, cooked
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons walnut oil (you could sub olive oil here if you like)
salt and fresh pepper
1/2 lb. pearl onions
1 medium fennel bulb, stalks discarded, sliced into small matchsticks
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup cranberries
3 stalks celery, diced

Boil water and pour over onions to cover. Let sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Combine the vinegar, shallot, mustard and sugar. Whisk in the oil to emulsify. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a half sheet pan or other shallow baking pan.

Return to the onions: cut off the ends and squeeze the skins off. You may need to peel just a bit, but they should come away easily. Combine the onions and fennel in a large bowl. Add two tablespoons of the dressing and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer in the pan. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until vegetables are just lightly browned, shaking the pan occasionally.

Meanwhile, spread walnuts on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for about 5 minutes or just until they start to color slightly and you can begin to smell them. Do not let them scorch.

Combine the rice, walnuts, cranberries, celery and remaining dressing in the large bowl. Add the onion and fennel as they are done. Season with more salt and pepper, if need be. Chill for at least an hour to let flavors blend. It's also excellent the next day. Serve cold or room temperature.

pay no attention to the lettuce in the bag

2007-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Box number four from Full Circle Farm's CSA program. Broccoli, green onion, carrots, rainbow chard, celery, French breakfast radishes, garnet yams, Ataulfo mangos, Minneola tangelos, Red Bartlett pears, and turnips.

Not pictured is a stinking plastic bag of Earthbound Farm romaine hearts. I'm pretending that that didn't happen. That my CSA box of "local", organic produce didn't just come with some prepackaged lettuce that I could've bought overpriced at Safeway. But the weather is turning warmer and brighter, so the vegetables should be picking up. At the least, I can start gardening, plastic lettuce be damned.

thicker than a bannock

2007-03-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Currant Scones

I'm told my scones taste like the sort that my great grandfather made. Although, presumably, his weren't vegan. These are especially good with some margarine and jam.

Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unrefined sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold soy margarine (i.e. Earth Balance) cut into 8-10 pieces
1 egg replacer egg
1 cup soy creamer or soy milk
1/2 cup zante currants

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Cut the margarine pieces into the flour with a pastry cutter (a couple of butter knives or just your fingers can work too) until the mixture consists of coarse crumbs.

Whisk the creamer and "egg" together. Mix the currants into the creamer mix. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the creamer/"egg"/currants. Fold the liquid into the crumbs until just combined. You may find yourself with seemingly too much dryness, but you'll be kneading it as well.

Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto the flour. Knead for about 2-4 minutes. Cut into two portions. One at a time, knead each piece just a few more times and then shape into a circle, patted down to about 1 inch thickness. Cut into six wedges. Brush with soy creamer or soy milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees on an ungreased cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes, until edges just begin to brown. Serve warm!

In place of the currants, you could make these with blueberries, dried cranberries, nuts, lemon zest/poppyseeds, or anything else you like to add to baked goods.

3.141592653589793...

2007-03-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Pizza with Artichoke Hearts, Tempeh Sausage,
Red Onion, and Kalamata Olives

I used to love pizza. Back in the olden days as a college freshman, I would order the cheapest, greasiest sort at midnight with my friends and then eat it while watching Female Trouble. Sometimes I miss that kind of pizza--the kind that leaves little strings of cheese on your chin and turns all the napkins an oily orange, the kind that you eat from a box in the dark with the television glowing on your face. But thankfully, I've found salvation in homemade pies and a new love for Pizza (a capital P kind of love.)

"Cheese" is perhaps the holy grail of vegan products. For Pizza endeavors, we seem to oscillate between Follow Your Heart and Veganrella (specifically mozzarella styles, we don't fool with that cheddar nonsense.) It's true that the FYH melts better, but I find it a little bland where Veganrella is pungent--in a good way. But the cheese isn't what makes the Pizza. It's the crust, the sauce, the toppings. This particular batch was a late dinner for my parents, one of those "Let's stuff our faces on Pizza and then eat pie" nights. It happens to the best of us.

The toppings aplenty were as follows: artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, homemade tempeh sausage, red onion, roasted red and yellow pepper, cashews, fresh tomatoes, and grilled portobello mushroom.

I could go on with an in-depth Pizza tutorial, but that can wait for another time. There are more important things in life. Such as dessert.

Black-bottom Peanut Butter Silk Pie

Perhaps the best cream pie I've had as a vegan from the only cookbook that matters. Do yourself a favor and eat some pie. You'll thank me later.

a dime a dozen

2007-03-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

Potato Leek Soup with Gomasio

This is me jumping on the band wagon. It seems that this creamy comfort food has vaulted to the top of the soup charts. Everywhere I go it's "potato leek this" and "potato leek that." It's inescapable. So what's a person to do, but make some soup? There are many incarnations of this particular soup. I perused perhaps a dozen recipes and decided that the key to this is simplicity. Although you really don't need it because it's just one in a million, here's my little recipe.

Saute leeks (2, washed and sliced) with red potatoes (about 5-6, washed & cubed) in olive oil (2 Tblspns) for about five minutes. Add four cups water and 1 vegetable bouillon cube (I swear by Rapunzel) and simmer 20-30 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste. Puree in batches in something sturdy, such as a glass blender or large food processor (not the mini five year old food processor that will spurt hot soup in your face.) Reheat if necessary. Serve with drizzles of olive oil and a liberal sprinkle of gomasio.

the grass is always greener

2007-03-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Sunflower Seed & Cornmeal Crusted Tofu with
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Sun-dried Tomato & Mushroom Risotto
Spicy Snow Peas
Garden Salad

After a week-long hiatus in small-town Washington with slow-like-molasses internet, I have lots of pictures and no posts. Yet. So I'm going to run you through some notable edibles from the last 10 days.

This meal consisted of a few of our favorites tweaked in a new fashion. Normally, I marinate and bake tempeh and then crust it with seeds and cornmeal and other bits (it's a holiday meal staple for us.) I used tofu in this dish and can say that the tempeh is better, more exciting although the red pepper sauce was a bright spot (roasted red pepper pureed with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.) The risotto is Chris's forte, a recipe that he adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. It's a good basic recipe; he added sun-dried tomatoes and crimini mushrooms to this one. The snap peas were also one of his treatments. Usually reserved for fresh green beans, it is, unsurprisingly, better left to the beans.

will you miss me when i'm gone?

2007-03-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Celebrations are so often centered around food. We remember birthdays and weddings for the cakes, wakes for the casseroles, holiday meals for the mashed potatoes and gravy. But there are foods that evoke a different kind of memory. A quieter, personal event. Food that reminds you of a person or a mood.

There are a handful of foods that remind me of my grandmother. Apple pie, orange rolls, Texas sheet cake, spaghetti and meatballs, peanut butter cookies with apple juice. She was always an amazing cook and with six children of her own and twelve stepchildren, she knew how to feed people well, whether it was a crowd on Easter Sunday or her six-year-old granddaughter on a summer afternoon. She's since moved to an elder living facility with her husband and eats many of her meals in the community dining room. I feel honored when I can offer her my own creations and repay some of those memories.

The first and last time I ate artichokes, I was much younger and sitting at the kitchen counter of my grandma's old house. We ate the tender leaves dipped in melted butter, scraping the soft flesh with our teeth. I had never encountered this meticulous vegetable before that moment and, thinking of it now, I can picture my grandma's yellow kitchen with sunlight in the windows and the scraped artichoke petals laying in a pile on one of her thin white plates.

Last Thursday, we received three small artichokes in our CSA box and I was given the opportunity to revisit this moment. Artichoke hearts that are bought marinated and jarred are always delicious, but a far different experience than the slow, methodic nibbling of a whole artichoke. We ate them last night with creamy vegenaise for dipping. This vegetable, simply boiled tender, tastes more sophisticated than it might let on. Try one as a simple appetizer after a long day or on a sunny afternoon with your grandma.

lazy-agna

2007-03-09T16:02:00.000-08:00

If lasagna and a cinnamon roll had a baby, this is what would come out. Minus the creamy icing. And the stomach ache you get from eating half the pan of buns.

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Rolls
Romaine Salad with red onion, carrot matchsticks,
cherry tomatoes, tamari pumpkin seeds and oil & vinegar.

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Rolls

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cook according to package directions:

9 lasagna noodles

Do not overcook or they’ll fall apart on you. In fact, just undercooked is fine since they’re going in the oven too. Rinse under cold water and toss with olive oil to keep them from sticking to each other. Set aside.

Filling ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup coarsely chopped cremini mushrooms (about 8-10)
½ cup white cooking wine
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons capers, minced
1 cup packed spinach, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped
8 oz. tofu, crumbled
½ cup chopped walnuts
3 Tablespoons Vegannaise (or blended silken tofu + a squeeze of lemon juice)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
dash of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

4-5 cups marinara sauce
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons pine nuts (optional)

chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Heat a medium/large skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium. Add olive oil to skillet and sauté onion until just translucent, stirring often. Add the garlic, sauté for another 30 seconds or so. Add mushrooms, white wine and red wine vinegar. Stir and heat until most of the liquid is cooked out. Stir in capers and remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, add the onion mushroom mixture to the remaining ingredients. Combine well.

Spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil.

On a clean work space or cutting board, lay out your lasagna noodles one at a time vertically. Using about 1/3 cup of the filling for each noodle, spread a line of it starting two inches from the top of the noodle and continuing to the very bottom. There should be about ½ inch of space along the sides. Roll the noodle away from you, starting from the bottom and rolling up. Place the roll seam-side down in the pan. Continue for the remaining noodles until you fill the pan with 9 rolls. Spread the rest of the marinara over the rolls and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a dry skillet on medium. Add the pine nuts to the pan and heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until they begin brown very slightly. Remove from skillet to a cool plate or bowl.

Take lasagna rolls out of oven. Remove foil and sprinkle with pine nuts. Replace in oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish servings with chopped parsley.

a ray of ruby grapefruit in the grey of march

2007-03-09T15:48:00.000-08:00

The contents of our third box of Full Circle Farm CSA produce.

Artichokes, red onion, acorn squash, green leaf lettuce, red potatoes, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, leeks, ruby grapefruit, Fuji apples, mango, and garnet yams.

Most of this food is sourced from farms outside of Washington. A traditional CSA farm sends a box of fruits and vegetables that are seasonal and local. So typically my vegetables this month would be roots, roots, and more roots. Full Circle Farm sources organics from other states where growing seasons are longer (California, for instance) so they can offer a greater variety during the slower growing seasons in this state. I know it’s not a “true” CSA, but I’m still investing in a farm and eating an array of organic foods.

Which is perhaps the best reason I can see in signing up for a CSA: it’s too easy to rotate the same dozen fruits and vegetables in cooking, to rely on foods that you are comfortable with. Why take a chance on brussels sprouts when you know you love broccoli? The boxes come with at least one or two foods that I’ve never cooked with or that I rarely think of using when I’m wandering through the produce aisle. And so far, armed with a good recipe, I haven't been let down.

You can find farms that offer Community Supported Agriculture in your area by using the Local Harvest CSA Finder.

There’s no such thing as too many vegetables in your kitchen.

little debbie, eat yr heart out

2007-03-04T15:51:00.000-08:00

Molasses Cookie Sandwiches

Adapted from a cookie recipe out of King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, soft gingery cookies with a dollop of fluffy white frosting smashed between them. Not quite these, but the very fact that they aren't wrapped in a pouch of cellophane makes them better.

baking up a storm and swimming in the sea

2007-03-01T11:47:00.000-08:00

Cranberry Pear Tart with Almonds

This is another dessert from Vegan With a Vengeance. You would think I don't have anything better to do. Well. It just so happens that I don't. You tell me what's better than banging out a tart on a Wednesday evening and then we'll talk. This was made with Bosc and Red D'anjou pears that had piled up from our CSA box. The recipe calls for a 9 in. tart pan. Mine's 11. I had to do some fancy footwork with the math and most of it I just ended up eyeballing anyway. I think it turned out purty nice lookin'.

Coconut Mango Banana Bread

Last night I was in a frenzy, using up fruits and vegetables on the verge of inedibleness. Blackening bananas and half a mango left over from sushi provoked this dense sweet loaf. You can fool with this recipe a lot: in lieu of the mango (and coconut) you could substitute diced apple, berries, raisins, dried cranberries, currants, pineapple, and so on.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x5x3 in. pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift the following together:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a medium bowl combine the following:

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 5 medium)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/4 cup canola oil

(Alternatively, for a little added protein, you could substitute 1/2 cup blended silken tofu or plain/vanilla soy yogurt in place of 1/2 cup of bananas or the applesauce.)

Add banana mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. It will be lumpy. Fold in the following:

1/2 cup diced mango
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Spoon batter into pan and, if desired, sprinkle with a little coarse raw sugar. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If necessary, cover the bread with a loose tent of foil in the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning. Cool in pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely. Tastes best if you wrap it (I use a clean kitchen towel) overnight and slice it the following day.

Kitchen Sink Sushi

Tuesday night we made sushi with friends. It was only the second time I've rolled the little logs and the first was only memorable for the rice that fell apart (and being at least two years ago.) Since then we've schooled ourselves on the how-tos of sushi. The first episode of the Post Punk Kitchen is all about sushi. If you don't feel empowered to cook by watching the PPK, then you may as well burn down your kitchen. While it's no match for two Brooklynites who have amassed a small army of vegans, the Food Network, at times, has some valuable information. Namely, Alton Brown's Good Eats. His "Wake Up Little Sushi" episode has some excellent pointers, first and foremost being his recipe for sushi rice. So this is what we threw together with lots of little piles of fillings: avocado, green onion, grilled tofu, carrot, mango, cucumber, yam, and sesame seeds. The picture above is what I made for dinner the next day: the stray leftovers from the night before (mango, carrot, green onion and cucumber) and some leftover tempeh bacon with sweet pickled ginger. Hence, kitchen sink sushi.

for another plate of food

2007-02-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

Carrot Coconut Cake from Vegan With A Vengeance. I made a few modifications to the recipe. Namely: substituting apple juice for pineapple juice, apple sauce for canola oil, walnuts for macadamias and adding minced raisins and dried cranberries, as well as a healthy dose of flax seeds (although, I promise you wouldn't know they're in there.) Topped with vegan cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut, it didn't last 24 hours. This bundt was a goner from the beginning.

Two weeks ago we received our first box of Community Supported Agriculture produce from Full Circle Farm in Carnation, WA. You might be asking how in tarnation a Washington farm sent us avocados. Well, they're from Mexico. This is not a traditional CSA in that we did not pay hundreds of dollars up front for weeks of produce. Instead, we pay per box for produce that is sourced from other farms throughout the country. Presumably, the summertime should yield more Washington-grown food. For now, I'll take the Mexican Avocados.

Tonight I was solo in the kitchen. Usually, this means I'm eating a frozen burrito or, if I'm feeling up to it, some pasta. In other words, I eat boring food when I'm alone. Preparing food with or for someone holds much of the charm in cooking. Not tonight. I still had plenty of vegetables left from last weeks box and another coming this afternoon. So I raided the icebox for a half-cut onion, a wedge of green cabbage, a handful of radishes, and so on. What came out of my cloud of pots and pans and chopped vegetables was probably more suitable for a Saturday picnic in July than a Thursday night in February. But I won't apologize for making barbeque fare out of season.

Spicy Tempeh Baked Beans
Parsley Potatoes
Raw Pink Slaw

Pink Slaw.
Green cabbage, red radishes, red onion, carrot and a small beet tossed with a vegenaise vinegar dressing. The grated raw beet turns the slaw a bright pink and is surprisingly well suited to coleslaw. This dish ages nicely overnight--make it several hours in advance to let the flavors mellow.

Parsley Potatoes.
Wash and cube red potatoes. Toss with olive oil and seasonings (salt, white and black pepper, chili powder, dill.) Spread in a single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet or baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes until browned on most edges, turning with a spatula every ten minutes or so. When sufficiently roasted to your liking, remove from oven and toss with chopped fresh parsley and a few more drops of olive oil.

Spicy Tempeh Baked Beans

Combine the following in a small casserole:

2 cups cooked pinto beans (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
½ sweet yellow onion, diced
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tablespoon vegetable bouillon
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons dark molasses
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon unrefined sugar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ pkg (2 oz.) tempeh, cut into matchsticks and then coarsely chopped
2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
½ cup water (or liquid from the cooked beans)
spoonful sliced jalapeno peppers (omit if you don’t want the spice)
salt and pepper to taste

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring two or three times.

I leave you with a picture of our second load of CSA produce from Full Circle Farm. Again, those pesky Mexican Avocados. Also: blood oranges, broccoli, red potatoes, onions, spinach, lettuce, Bosc pears, Fuji apples, carrots, mango and the hugest parsnip I've ever laid eyes on.