Vegan Soul Power!

Happy Meals

2012-01-30T09:28:00.002-05:00

I have absolutely no scientific evidence to back this up, but I am convinced that eating orange food in the winter counteracts some of the effects of sun deprivation. Maybe its just the bright, cheerful color of sweet potatoes and carrots that lift my mood, or maybe beta carotene packs some kind of happy punch. All I know is, when the weather is grey I can't get enough orange. (And Germans seem to agree: almost every restaurant offers pumpkin or carrot soup this time of year.) (But my sweet potato lentil soup is better. :) )

So for the last few weeks, faced with the prospect of moving to a new country, planning two weddings, and staving off poverty until impending permanent residency (and accompanying work permit) I have been trying to lower my stress levels by loading up on delicious orangey bliss. Its been kind of working.

Above we have a simple dinner from S.- sweet potatoes mashed with a little bit of maple syrup, white miso, and cinnamon, fried tofu that has been dredged in soy milk then coated in cornstarch, a little flour and sesame seeds, and green beans sauteed with salty soy sauce. Perfection.

And then here we have a variation on an old standby: carrot-cashew pasta. This time I aimed for more of a savory flavor profile rather than the sweet flavor my other recipe gets from ginger and agave nectar. This time I boiled sliced carrots, a handful of plain cashews, and a clove of garlic until tender, then blended them with a few tablespoons of the boiling water, plus a sprinkling of curry powder and black pepper. This was tossed with pasta and topped with sauteed brown mushrooms.

And finally you have my purest version of a happy meal:

A homemade black-bean burger on a sesame seed roll topped with onions, spinach, and sriracha-laced ketchup, served with sweet potato fries and, sure, more ketchup. Eat your heart out Micky D's.

How does one make sweet potato fries, you ask? Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees and slice up a peeled sweet potato into thin, fry-like slices. Toss resultant slices with olive oil plus any of the following: salt and pepper; cumin, cinnamon and paprika; lemon pepper and salt; ect. Bake until crispy and try to wait until they cool down.

So, that concludes my primer on stuffing your S.A.D. face full of orange. Here are several more dishes on the same theme:
Butternut Squash Risotto with sage
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

And now, friends, I'll continue my panicked Serbia preparations! Next time you hear from me, I'll be writing from Belgrade!
Следећи пут када чујете од мене, ја ћу бити у Београду!

Song of the Day: Tears for Fears- Everybody Wants to Rule the World

Turkish Delight

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000-05:00


Chestnut seller by Gallata bridge, Istanbul

Ferry ride to Kadikoy

Glorious Hagia Sofia

Oh, Istanbul, there's really no reason ever to leave, but its January, vacation is over, and its time to get back to work. After an enchilada and Thai-food-filled Christmas back in the states, I headed back to Europe to go on a week's visit to Turkey with my boyfriend S. I was so absolutely enthralled, for the second time, that I think Turkey should hire me as touristic ambassador to the world.

You see, to me, Istanbul is the perfect vacation site. First off, its the Puta Madre of all cities. Thousands of years old, geographically sprawling, and filled with millions of different types of people, its the combination of the Big Apple and ancient Babylon. Dazzling architectural gems like the Blue Mosque or Gallata tower lurk behind every corner, and the bubbling domes have the effect of looking at once close and far away, creating a 3-D effect as you ferry along the sea. Its a bit surreal. Alongside the ancient and mystical are thousands of shouting food cart owners, hustlers pushing everything from prayer rugs to flying bird toys to Adidas tennies, and normal Istanbulus in commute.

At the same time as the sensory overload, it is possible to enjoy moments of breathtaking views and silence from almost any corner of the city. Just go near the water, or up a hill, and you are certain to find a little cafe with hookahs and tea where you can bask in the sunshine and the Golden Horn. Or escape to a Hamam (like we did) and sweat out your sins under a star-etched ceiling, followed by a fresh orange juice and a manicure.

But I haven't even mentioned the food. In my opinion, Istanbul is extremely accommodating to vegans and vegetarians. Street vendors pimp fire roasted chestnuts and corn, sugary rock candy, fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice, sweet tea and (vegetarian) Simits, the Turkish bagel. Restaurants tend to be meat-oriented for mains, but offer countless small plates with delicious vegan vegetable preparations. For instance, peppers and eggplants stuffed with bulgur or fragrant rice, lentil soup, roasted vegetable kebabs, simple salads topped with pomegranate seeds, and "kumpir" (baked potatoes topped with your choice of different sauces and veggies.) No matter what, the emphasis in Turkish cooking is simply, correctly prepared fresh ingredients with a minimum of sauces or seasonings. Rather than complicated techniques or recipes, they rely on mixes of cooked and fresh ingredients to create texture and layers. For instance, adding fresh herbs, fresh fruit, or chopped onions to top a cooked dish.

I was definitely inspired by the many delicious meals we had to make a new year's resolution: cook more in the Turkish style. The first meal I tried when we got back was the following.

Scored, broiled eggplant with a spice mix of cinnamon, cumin, and paprika, rice with garlic, onions and carrots, and salad with french lentils and pomegranate seeds. Not exactly Turkish, but definitely delicious.

Aside from a new-found obsession with Turkish food, I took something else home with me from Istanbul: a new fiance! S. asked me to marry him and I've accepted.... crazy, right? I can hardly believe it myself.

But I am very happy. Even if this does mean two weddings, and months of obsessing about how to make a perfect vegan wedding cake. (I apologize in advance.)

Hope you all had an equally great holiday season! Now, on to an exciting 2012....

Vegan Brazilian Feijoada, quickly

2011-12-08T07:26:00.001-05:00

On a cold and rainy day, there's nothing quite as comforting as a big warm pot of feijoada. Since Brussels is often cold and rainy, I first learned about this miracle cure when I lived above a group of Brazilian guys in Belgium. Every Saturday, a smokey, rich cooking smell would drift up to my apartment during the morning, and continue all day. In the late afternoon, I would hear them playing guitars and singing in Portuguese, clearly having an awesome party while I shivered in my apartment. Finally, I got invited one day, when I happened to be walking by the open door. I learned that the all-day dish was feijoada, Brazil's national dish. Its a combination of slow simmered black beans, various types of meat, bay leaves and other spices, with wine or beer. The vegan way, of course, involves some substitutions, but its still incredibly rich, comforting and delicious, especially with sides of orange rice, braised kale, and roasted plantains, the traditional accoutrements to the rich stew.

The real, "from scratch" recipe takes several hours, given that you use dried beans to get a luscious broth. But sometimes I do a short-cut recipe for weeknights that captures most of the appeal of the original without the many hours of stirring. I definitely recommend trying the traditional recipe, however- both Viva Vegan and Color Me Vegan offer awesome versions (and you can't get that perfectly thick bean broth with canned beans, alas.) However, once you've mastered those, you may find yourself craving the dish on non-special occasions, such as a particularly gross rainy day. In that case, I think my version holds up fairly decently, and my feijoada-obsessed boyfriend agrees.

*****
Brazilliant Feijoada serves 4

2 16 oz cans black (turtle) beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
2 cups mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 cup deuhydrated soy curls or similar (I use "soja schnetzel")
1 cup red wine
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
4 cups vegetable broth (or water + veg bouillon)
1 sprig fresh thyme, or 1 tsp. dried
1 bay leaf
1 and 1/2 Tbs. cumin
1and 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1.) Reconstitute soy curls by pouring boiling veg broth (about 2 cups) over them (enough to cover) and soaking for about 5 minutes. Then drain, squeezing against colander gently to release excess water, and set aside.
2.) In a large, sturdy pot, heat a few good glugs of oil over medium low heat. When hot, add in onions and stir to coat. After 1-2 minutes, add in garlic. When garlic and onions are soft, season well with salt and pepper and pour in red wine to deglaze, cooking a few minutes more.
3.) Add in mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes, then add in soy curls, beans, remaining two cups veg broth, and remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to low. Let stew simmer for 30 minutes, stirring ocassionally. Meanwhile, prepare accoutrements (ie, roasted plantains, greens of your choosing, orange rice.)
4.) After stew has boiled down and sauce has become thick, taste and adjust seasonings. (I usually add a bit more soy sauce and balsamic at this point.) Let cook a bit longer until plenty thick, and serve hot with plenty of rice and hot sauce. Leftovers are even better the next day.
*****

For more on roasting plantains, see here. For more on cooking dried beans, which I fully encourage despite the above recipe, see here.

Song of the Day: Aguas de Marco- Cibo Matto

Cold Comfort

2011-12-05T05:51:00.001-05:00

Winter time, and the living is easy.

The weather is extremely mild (for Berlin), I've got a little money for once, and I have lots of fun parties and meet-ups to attend before heading back to the USA for the holidays. With all of this good luck, I've been cooking up a storm of comfort food.

Above are potato and spinach enchiladas with a side of avocado. Enchiladas are really just the greatest. Once you've got a standard recipe, you can substitute whatever you have on hand to make a simple dinner. I used my normal recipe for Chipotle Plantain enchiladas, but subbed the filling out for a simple mash of boiled potatoes and spinach (with a bit of salt and pepper and soymilk) With frozen spinach anbd potatoes it doesn't get much cheaper than this recipe. I also subbed out the chipotle in the sauce, getting the heat instead from a tablespoon of cayenne pepper. Spicy and delicious.

Next I made the Mac and Cheeze from the archives of the mysteriously disappeared Veganyumyum. Its a great recipe because if you have a decently stocked vegan cupboard, you likely have most of the ingredients on hand. (Tahini, miso, soy sauce, nooch, lemon juice, ect.) The dish itself is extremely satisfying and even somewhat cheeselike. Hmmm, maybe I should whip up another batch today...

Last but not least, we have a boring (read: easy and delicious) curry with potatoes, carrots, zucchini, tofu, and tons of garlic and ginger. The curry is coconut based with tomatoes thrown in too. Topped with a little sriracha, its the kind of thing I like to make a big batch of then eat all week for lunch.

Ah, winter... if you keep behaving, you can stay a little longer.

Song of the day: Spandau Ballet- True

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T09:53:00.001-05:00

The gorgeous centerpiece, a mix of bought and found flowers from S.

The tables, decked with Brussels Sprouts, Stuffing "muffins" and mixed plates

Making a wok full of mushroom gravy at the last minute

S getting ready to enjoy his "favorite" American tradition

SO! In the midst of my INSANE 19 person Thanksgiving party, I forgot one thing: to take pictures. It's not really so much that I forgot, but more that I was so exhausted that my brain turned to mushroom gravy. But let me just say, as you can see from these guest-foraged photos, things went well! Here's a run-down:

Number of Prep Days: 3
Number of People: 19
Number of Tables: 2 (but they were equal, no kids table)
Number of Bottles of Wine: 17
Number of Sweet Potato Casseroles: 3
Amount of Mashed Potatoes: 4 Kilos
Loaves of Cornbread in Stuffing: 3
Dinner Time: 8:00 (timing was PERFECT)
Biggest Hits: Miso-Mushroom Gravy, Green Bean Casserole
Least Favorite: Chestnut-Sage-Apple Cornbread Stuffing. Delicious, but should have been served hot rather than room temp. (But there wasn't enough room in the oven...)
Biggest Question: "What do you put the gravy on?"
Biggest Exclamation: "Mampf. This is a great holiday."


SY and me, savoring victory

All in all, I can say it was a big success. And that I won't feel like cooking again until next year. :) Hope you all had as fantastic a holiday as me!!

Jetzt shon wieder!? Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Man, its already Thanksgiving again! This time, come hell or highwater, I'm doing it right!

I know, I know: I say that every year. But this year, no sickness, Belgians, or German disdain for patriotism will prevent me from celebrating Thanksgiving: the holiday of feast, family, and forgetting (either America's history of colonial atrocities or the fact that you Uncle thinks Barack Obama is a Kenyan-Islamic-Fundamentalist-Communist, take your pick.)

In fact, I decided to go all out and invite like, 20 people over (I think maybe 13 are coming) and arrange to cook a huge buffet. Since most of these people have never celebrated Thanksgiving before they are most likely going to interpret this as an invitation to come over and get drunk on a weeknight, but I don't care! I will have twinkly music, candles, flowers, and green bean casserole and it will be awesome! It won't be exactly the same as in America- ie, no Martha Stewart inspired placeholders, 20 year old handmade turkey paper mache centerpiece, or football- but I will have a fairly decent replica of the event, just 6 hours earlier.

So here's the menu! As you can see from my elaborate preparation list above, it will take some finnagling to get all the necessary ingredients, but I have a gameplan spread out over a week, so everything should come together one way or another.

Thanksgiving 2011
-Salad with oranges (brought by a guest)
-Simple roasted Brussels Sprouts (salt and pepper and olive oil)
-Sweet Potatoes two ways (because I don't have enough casserole dishes to make a huge sweet potato casserole.)
- 1st way: My Aunt Mary's specialty, with apples, brown sugar, pecans
- 2nd way: An experimental version- pureed sweet potatoes with miso, maple syrup, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Oh yeah, and coconut milk.
-Mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
-Green Bean Casserole, a la T ( no decent mushroom soup here, so I'm planning the following instead. I will do a light roux, add in mushrooms, finely diced onions, a bit of soy sauce and nooch and plenty of salt and pepper. I will toss the frozen green beans in this and top with bastardized french fried onions- Danish onions that they use for topping hot dogs. Will it work?!I will let you know!)
-Cornbread Stuffing (also an invention: veganized boxed cornbread from the USA, roasted chestnuts, dried cranberries, onions, plenty or salt, pepper,. and fresh sage, held together with a bit of vegetable stock. THEN I am going to grease up some muffin tins and make little individual stufffing servings! I'm hoping this will be like a mixture between bread pudding and stuffing. Total off the cuff experiment due, once again, to lack of baking dishes.)
-Mushroom Miso Gravy, from Crescent Dragonwagon (haha best hippie vegetarian name ever)
-Cranberry Sauce ala Isa, however, I will add a bit of orange zest because I just need to.

And then to top it off my friends are bringing pumpkin pies and chocolate pies. I would say, that is a Thanksgiving!

If you are planning your own and need inspiration here are some posts from Thanksgiving pasts with lots of links to recipes and treatises on vegan Thanksgiving.
Last Minute Thanksgiving Ideas
My Veg Thanksgiving
More Thanksgiving Tips

So, wish me luck kids! And good luck with all of your own Thanksgivings, whether you are hosting or dragging your family to Grandmother's house: I hope its great!

Song of the Day: Future Islands- Balance

Fighting the Winter Blues

2011-11-14T06:29:00.001-05:00

After a freakishly warm autumn, Berlin is once again the cold, grey, stony-faced city that I dread all year. Its the time of year where I am constantly freezing, constantly sick, and totally bummed out from the uniformly short and "blah" days.

However, having spent last winter here, now I know what I am facing and have decided not to take things lying down. (Literally. I am vowing not to hide under the covers all winter.) Yes, I am taking a 3 pronged approach to combating winter blues!

Tactic 1: Stay Well
The best way to be in a good mood is to not be sick! I am doing my part by eating tons of "Russian antibiotic" ie, GARLIC!! Above is one of my favorite ways to eat a ton of anti-oxidant packed garlic: roasted in the oven. Bake the whole bulb with a bit of olive oil for 45 minutes, then squeeze out the mushy insides and use as a paste for bread, pizza, or blend it into a soup for added flavor. I used mine for this awesome and simple potato soup, topped with sriracha and chopped leftover herbs that I've been storing in the freezer.

Another part of this tactic is to take advantage of the plentiful winter citrus offerings (for me its clementines and grapefruit, yum!) and get tons of vitamin C. Finally, I'm upping my vitamin intake and making sure I get the Vitamin B that vegans need to stay healthy.

Tactic 2: Coziness
The Scandinavian countries have a secret for staying cheerful in the long grey winter: candles. Yes, lighting tons of candles and twinkly lights combats the depressing darkness everywhere, and makes you feel like an evening at home is a special occasion. I am taking this advice to heart this year: fuzzy socks, cute candles, soft music and nice teas will be found in my household. We are going to pretend to be totally Danish (stopping short of consuming massive quantities of Herring) and I'll let you know if it works.

Tactic 3: Get outside
Finally, even though it is completely gross outside it is important to leave the house and get the tiny little bit of Vitamin D available. I have decided that, so long as I can afford it, I will be going to the local coffee house to do my legal research rather than burrowing in at home. This way, I have to get dressed and get outside, and get a minimal amount of social contact (which is also important.) The walk to and fro, along with detours in the park of nearby, mean I get to enjoy at least a little weather and fresh air- which always ends up putting me in a good mood somehow.

What are your tips for beating the Winter Blahs?

Song of the Day: Future Islands- Balance

Kale, sweet potato fries, seitan nuggets

2011-11-09T11:46:00.001-05:00

Do you guys love it when reality show divas say, "I finally found my voice?" I do. Especially on Bravo's Real Housewives franchise, which is possibly my favorite series of all time. (I would like to say "ironically," but I give the tortured souls of New York, Beverly Hills, New Jersey and Atlanta so much attention that it drifts now and then into true fandom.) Yes, it's embarrassing. If you haven't seen them, the shows follow the privileged and often peculiar women of various U.S. cities around, documenting their petty arguments, personal struggles, and social climbing maneuvers. It goes without saying that anyone who would star on reality shows is probably not incredibly classy, but who wants to watch classy people? These chicks range from crazy-pants to lovably overbearing to drunk all the time, and they are very entertaining to me and my friends, who fancy ourselves the Real Housewives of Berlin.

Anyways, who ever didn't get into enough fights the first season is obliged to come back the second season and say, "I finally found my voice, and I'm NOT afraid to use it." And this is how I am feeling about Kale at the moment. I found a bunch in a little bio-markt day-old bin, labeled as grun kohl (green cabbage) and I almost shouted out, "I've finally found my kale--- and I am NOT afraid to use it!"

And so I made a little kiddie meal to introduce the delicacy to S. (One could even call this my spin on a tv dinner.) Sweet potato fries dusted with cinnamon and paprika, wheaty seitan nuggets, ketchup with sriracha, and the star attraction- kale with garlic and a splash of apple cider vinegar. Guess which part he didn't like?

Oh well, more for me. I'm taking charge of my kale! The Real Housewives would be proud.

Okra Gumbo from Heaven

2011-11-02T09:01:00.002-04:00

There is this little "Afro-Asia" Lebensmittel Laden down the street from where I live, and I'm there almost every day. The front is plastered with Bollywood posters, and on the inside little kids buy ginger beer and gummies from the bored shop girl, who spends most of her time on the phone. Its a modest, kind of dusty little spot, but for me, its heaven. Its my local source of plantains, chipotles, mirin, sriracha, silken tofu, masa harina... you name it, they've got it. Along with every spice and flour on the planet, bags full of frozen crustaceans still in their shells, strange looking spice mixes (like, for sugar cane broth? what do you use that for?) And best of all, in a small and crowded refrigerator they also offer up fresh thai basil, habanero peppers and... okra.

Believe it or not, I've never cooked with okra before! Its a standby in good old Virginia, but I usuallu come across the canned version and I never felt compelled to experiment with it. But when I saw box of fresh okra at Afro-Asia, I became curious. Luckily, Isa posted a recipe for Okra Gumbo w/ Chickpeas and Kidney Beans on the PPK a few weeks back, and I made a mental note to try it out. That ended up being a really good idea.

Isa's version is a lot quicker than most versions, even if you make a darker roux like I opted to. The end result is complete comfort food, toothy and creamy and a little sour from the okra, and the perfect receptacle for a bit of hot sauce. With some white rice and a beer you can pretend you're in steamy Louisiana (even if you're in freezing Berlin.)

Song of the day: Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell

Vegan Mofo: BBQ and Cupcakes

2011-10-30T08:45:00.000-04:00

People constantly ask me what the difference is between Germany and America. I usually say that its not all that different, that socio-economic and cultural factors make more of a difference than the actual country you are living in, bla bla bla until the person gets bored and walks away. But if really pressed, I'll talk about the food.

First off, we've got the bread. Americans don't have one standard, but in general we like it relatively soft and fluffy with a crust. Germans, on the other hand, like bread that is as healthy as humanly possible. I'm talking coarse brown, sour bread with 15 different kinds of seeds and grains so big you can make them out from across the room. Just try to give a slice of Wonderbread to a German, I dare you.

The second thing is, Germans (and Belgians, and Dutch...maybe French too) think its totally normal to eat chocolate for breakfast. As a kid I sometimes indulged in Cookie-crisp cereal or the like as a treat, but in general chocolate is more a dessert thing to me... not so with the dozens of breakfast products here created with chocolate. You've got spreadable chocolate, chocolate flakes to sprinkle on buttered bread, even muesli at health food stores contains chocolate. Dream come true, right?

Anyways, there are many other scandalous food habits of the Germans that I could expose for you today (bread and cheese at every meal! 6 cups of coffee a day! beenkuchen!) but I don't want to ruin the mystery. I, meanwhile, steadfastly maintain my American way of life as best I can. This week, that meant BBQ'd soy curls for lunch (above) and chocolate cupcakes with no proper icing. (Shortening is apparently not a part of the daily diet. Will bring back 6 tubs after Christmas...).

As I always say, Germany isn't better or worse than the US, just different. And they both have something to learn from one another. For instance, let's introduce icing to Germany, and they can teach us about chocolate for breakfast... pretty soon, we've got inter-cultural breakfast cupcakes. Ah, a world without borders. :)

Vegan Mofo: Soup and Salad

2011-10-25T11:38:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest in my continuing series, "What to Serve People that Aren't Crazy About Your Weirdo Vegan Food". I had S.'s parents over for dinner last weekend, and unlike my parents, I can't (or more like, won't) serve them wild and spicy things, eg, chipotle plantain enchiladas or penang tofu, because they would think that is just crazy town.

(I should mention, however, that I am extraordinarily lucky to have parents that will literally eat whatever vegan food I like, from a casserole made with beets to Chili made with cinnamon and beer to stir-fryed Brussels Sprouts...on Christmas. I mean, my parents are in it to win it.)

So instead I made something just weird enough but reminiscent of things normal people eat. I cooked up a big batch of Curried Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup (without hot peppers), baked some instant vegan cornbread, and threw together a huge romaine salad tossed with garlicky miso-tahini dressing (which looks just like Caesar but tastes a zillion times better.) For dessert? Chocolate cupcakes (from VCTOTW, natch) with a light dusting of cinnamon.


S, me and his Mom, enjoying the bounty

It was a hit! I am getting good at this "convincing people I'm normal" thing.

Vegan Mofo- Hard to Mess Up

2011-10-23T22:00:00.000-04:00

As promised, here is my list of 5 recipes I make over and over again, with delicious, crowd-pleasing results every single time.

5.) Pizza Crust- Joy of Cooking

Sure its a non-vegan cookbook, but its got a lot of hits, and often contains the most simple baseline recipe for something you've heard of but never cooked. That makes it great for veganizing. This recipe, however, needs no alteration, and I've made perhaps 100 times, always with phenomenal results. A no-frills classic.

4.) Venezuelan Black Beans- Viva Vegan

Once you try Terry Hope Romero's recipe for simple black beans, you may feel tempted to throw away all of your other cookbooks. Resist. Man cannot subsist on black beans alone. However, this is the perfect recipe with which to attempt that feat.

3.) Minimalist Tagine (from moi)

I came up with this streamlined take on the classic Tagine in Brussels and ever since I've made it at least once a month, always a little differently. Sometimes its mushrooms and eggplant, sometimes I throw in some chickpeas, the nuts depend on what I have around... in other words, its flexible. But the cinnamon and cumin spiked sauce, with golden apricot bits, is exotic enough to feel like a feast, even when you just throw it together. Its also a good centerpiece to a Moroccan themed dinner party.

2.) Eggplant Potato Moussaka- Veganomicon.

Isa and Terry might be over-represented on this list, but there is a reason for that. I've served this impressive casserole to everyone, from my parents, to a bunch of omni Germans on Passover. Its always a hit. The filling- layers of potatoes and eggplant with a toothsome tomato sauce- perfectly compliments the custardy pine-nut cream topping that no one ever believes is vegan. Its simple enough to make, but everyone will think you are a star vegan chef when you serve this.

1.) Banana Flapjacks- Vegan Brunch

I have plenty of pancake recipes that I love and enjoy, but let's not kid ourselves- Vegan Brunch's version are the sine qua non of pancake recipes.Without them, there is no breakfast. I get so many compliments on these babies that I feel like I should send a royalty check to Isa every time I make them. But then I'd really have to be a millionaire. Try them once, and watch as your attachment to all other pancake recipes fades away....

What recipe or cookbook can you not live without?

Vegan Mofo: The perfect recipe

2011-10-21T04:26:00.000-04:00

So I made the pineapple cashew quinoa stir-fry from Veganomicon again last night. This time I made it with tofu and ommitted a few steps. And guess what? It was freaking PERFECT. The quinoa is like caviar coating the pineapple pieces that pop in your mouth, the spicy basil and mint are bright and hot, the flavoring is perfectly savory, its just a complete and total winner. S. was like, "why don't we make this more often?" And I was about to reprimand him that I make it about 10 times per year, when I realized that most of the time I make it with leftover quinoa and eat it all myself. Ooops.

Anyways, this success got me thinking about some of the other cookbook recipes that I make time and time again, always with great success. Tomorrow I'll post a list, and try to find links to recipes for each.

In the meantime, I received an award! Thank you to Michelle from A bit addicted to cookbooks for nominating me for the Liebster award! (Hey its even in German!)

Now I have to nominate 5 people with less than 200 followers, and so shall do so! Congrats folks, you are my lieblings (though I'm not totally sure you all have less than 200 followers... whatev.)

1.) Crack the Plates
2.) Pixiepine Blog
3.) It ain't meat, babe
4.) Seitan is My Motor
5.) Veggie Terrain

Ich liebe euch!

Vegan Mofo: I love my Kiez

2011-10-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

A hipster baby eating at Cafe Marx? OMG that is so Kreutzberg, Alter...

Not to brag, or anything, but I live in pretty much the coolest neighborhood (or "Kiez" in Berliner slang) in the world. That's right, Kreutzberg 36, sort of a German Sesame Street for hippies and hipsters, maybe you've heard of it from your annoying globe-trotting friend who claims Berlin is the new Brooklyn. It's gained sort of a reputation lately and has experienced an influx of ridiculously hip British, French, and Spanish ex-pats looking to live in an artisitic, up and coming neighborhood. (This, of course, infuriates all the people who lived here before it was the center of world-hipsterdom, but what can you do.) People can complain about foreigners and gentrification all they want, but to me this neighborhood is pretty much paradise. Here are a few reasons why:

A vega-burger from Germany's first vegetarian fast-food restaurant, on Wienerstrasse

Now might be a good time to mention that punks burnt down a local McDonalds... twice


Guerilla gardening is really taking off. Check out above ground U-bahn-tracks in the background.


A soja latte w/ extra foam at Cafe Marx


One of several Sudanese restaurants around, serving up excellent tofu wraps.


Thrift store at Spreewaldplatz- meeting all of your bowling shoe, accordian, and cowboy hat needs.

Morrocan vegetable tagine, falafel, fresh carrot juice, and Veggie doner's at Rissani

And of course, every open surface is covered with murals and graffiti.

So that's my neighborhood, at least for the time being. And although I move around a lot, I'm proud to call multi-kulti, vegan friendly, hipster populated Kreutzberg my home. Come visit sometime!

Song of the Day: Kiezkiller

Vegan Mofo: A Miso to Remember

2011-10-17T15:23:00.002-04:00

Miso and I, sizing eachother up (I'm Cary Grant, obvs)

I have this needlessly tempestuous and stormy relationship with miso (ie, fermented soybean paste.) Its like, every time I see it in a bio-store I go up and examine it flirtatiously. I hold onto it for five minutes at a time while I walk around the store, pretending to be totally casual. Sometime, I even bring it to the register. But in the end I always return it to the shelf. Why? Because I simply cannot bear to spend 8 f#@king euros on what is basically a condiment. But then... I dream all night of all the things I could have made with it. Macaroni and cheeze.... miso-tahini dressing... mushroom gravy.... soup.... and then I get annoyed and think of rushing back to the store, only to realize its too late, its already closed and my hesitancy has cost me my chance for happiness. I mean, with me and miso its like An Affair to Remember... star-crossed lovers, always too late, kept apart by misunderstandings and fate.

Until today! I found a huge tub of miso for 4 euros in an Asian market near Alexanderplatz, and finally, all of my miso fantasies can come true!! First on that list was a simple classic, roasted vegetables with miso-tahini sauce.

I started with roasting a gazillion vegetables- beets, zucinni, carrots, onions, sweet potato, a fistful of mushrooms, a tiny pasrnip, ect- with some oil, salt and pepper at 400 degrees (200 c) for about 25 minutes, or, long enough to call all three of my student loan officers. Then, I made the ridiculously simple miso tahiuni sauce--- whisk equal parts white miso and tahini, add a drizzle of agave nectar, and whisk in warm water until desired consistency is reached.

The end result was the super healthy plate of my dreams- mixed vegetables, roasted to perfection, fluffy quinoa and my perfect, heavenly miso-fix. Perfection attained.

Song of the Day: Fiona Apple- Why try to change me now

Vegan Mofo: Mushroom Risotto

2011-10-16T16:00:00.001-04:00

Just a quickie today, kids!

Made risotto last night, the same way I always do, except this time, S had a brain flash. We could leave out the veg of the day (in this case, mushrooms) and just add it into our individual servings. Then, we can make a different veg tomorrow and add that into the leftovers! Brilliant, right? Especially if you have a ton of risotto rice and not a lot of one particular vegetable.

Two other small pieces of news: The NYT actually managed to have a whole article on vegan recipes without snarking! And the recipes look fairly good! Check it out here.

In other news, I started a new blog on a totally different subject- migration, statelessness, and refugees. In the off chance that those topics interest you, please feel free to check it out:
http://noncitizensoftheworld.blogspot.com/

Vegan Mofo: Let's Talk About Veganism

2011-10-15T10:54:00.001-04:00

Two things happened in the last few months that made me want to write this post: 1) I finished Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and 2) I decided to look up my old friend the "Voracious Vegan" and saw what a shit-storm has been going on with her blog, which is now a non-vegan food blog called Voracious Eats. (You can read the now infamous post, "A Vegan No More" here.) Since I didn't eat anything of note yesterday, being a bit sick, I thought I would go ahead and comment on these two issues for Vegan Mofo.

These two "events" (if you can call them that) intertwined because they both deal, on some level, with how vegans and vegetarians interact with omnivores. In Safran Foer's book, he researches factory farming extensively, and also looks at small sustainable animal farms to research what is the best food to feed his child. Although he eventually lands on vegetarianism, for both ethical and practical reasons he finds it hard to disown those that are working hard to provide good alternatives to meat-eaters, and at the end feels compelled to support their plight as well.

The point is that, while he advocates vegetarianism strongly, he makes the point that the dialogue between veggies and omnis should not be quite so, well, fraught with rage and accusations. Discussing diet choices can already bring out the worst in people (just ask my boyfriend how racist I am against Germans and their love of mayonnaise), and when we involve animals in that discussion we really get into sensitive territory. This is because human beings have an incredibly complex relationship with animals, which is really about our relationships with ourselves. The way we feel about animals, not to mention our views on whether or not they ought to be eaten, are inextricably intertwined with our views on human beings, God, nature, and morality. And you expect to untangle all of this over a dinner party?

The point is, when we talk about vegetarianism, we also talk about all of these other matters. ("Here comes everyone.") So its no surprise that people get extremely emotional about it. However, let us do ourselves a favor, and try to separate two things when we discuss veganism/ vegetarianism: ethics and health.

1.) Ethics
I went vegan for ethical reasons. (And to impress my hot vegan boyfriend at the time. So shoot me.) I thought about it deeply and felt that, if I were on a desert island alone with my dog, I would probably have to eat her. But not being on a desert island, I was privileged to not have to eat my dog, or any other animal. I always could, but I don't have to. So why should I contribute to a system that harms the planet, causes unspeakable cruelty to living beings, and facilitates human rights abuses on labor?

The answer, for me, is obviously I shouldn't. BUT.... what if I lost that privilege of being able to choose? What if I had to eat meat?

2.) Health
When I went vegetarian almost 10 years ago, I noticed two changes to my health: one, I didn't get stomach aches anymore (I think I was mildly lactose intolerant) and two, I ate a wider range of food which made me feel happier.

But that's basically it, friends. I didn't lose weight, my skin didn't clear up, I didn't notice a huge change in energy or mood... basically, I was the same, but I liked my food a lot more and enjoyed cooking a lot more. But for me, it wasn't some miraculous health change. (I know it is for some.) It also, on the other hand, did not have any negative effects. I had the same health problems as before (eczema, hay fever) at the same levels, and didn't suffer from any huge physical changes.

But here's where I bring up the example of the artist formerly known as Voracious Vegan... she did experience massive changes apparently. She got very ill, lost her energy, and became depressed. To me, this effectively removes her choice. This is now the desert island scenario.

It is my opinion that if, for whatever reason, you cannot sustain a vegan diet (and given the variety of people on this planet, this has to be a possibility for some) than you should not have to sacrifice your health and happiness to do so. Similarly, you should not continue to eat grains if you are gluten intolerant or peanuts if you have a nut allergy. (Isn't this sort of a no-brainer?) I can't see any reason why a vegan diet cannot provide all of the essentials that people need for their life, but I'm not a doctor so how the hell should I know? Listen to your doctor and don't eat what makes you sick.

I love animals, but I love myself more, and I would not put myself at risk to be vegan. So far, I have never had any diet-related health problems in my 10 years of vegetarianism and 6 or so years of pretty decently adherent veganism. I don't personally know any other vegans that have either. But I am willing to admit that it is possible and that if you are struggling big time, maybe you should try something else. Let's not torture people to beleaguer the point, vegans: if everybody ate less meat we would already be getting somewhere important, and forcing people to stick to a diet they don't like, or even makes them sick, is not our job.

Voracious Vegans
That being said, I was bewildered to read, both on the comments section of Voracious Eats and elsewhere, tons of people angrily tearing down vegans as propagandists, liars, cheats, and fundamentalists, who will do anything to get their way. Looking around at vegan cooking blogs, I see so much positivity, delicious food, and just general love- but maybe I'm not reading the right blogs?

The way I see it, vegan food speaks for itself. It is just as delicious as non-vegan food, with the added benefit of not containing dead animals. If that's not enough of a sell for you, then I'm not going to be able to convince you by screaming "meat is murder!" I was really disappointed to see people accusing Tasha of having lied about her illnesses or secretly hating animals or calling her a bitch and even evidently sending her and her family death threats. (WTF?) Guys, we don't win the war against factory farming and cruelty to animals by attacking non-vegans, especially people who tried it and couldn't make it work for them. In my opinion it is much more effective to seduce people gently, by serving them delicious vegan and vegetarian options to eat, providing them with information if necessary, and raising awareness of the dangers of the current food system. A lot of people come over on their own, but almost no one changes the way they think about food because of being cursed out or attacked. I mean, is that how you went vegan?

Its not necessary to demonize non-vegans. People contribute to the cause in their own way, and if that way is veganism, then that is awesome, please pass the cupcakes. But if not, it doesn't mean you are an evil person. Just as my diet doesn't make me a fanatic or human-hater. But also not a saint.

Vegan Mofo: Polenta w/ Plantains and Onions

2011-10-12T15:06:00.001-04:00

I know what you are thinking. "Sweet Lord, this woman eats a lot of plantains." Yes, ok, but in comparison to Budapest, Berlin might as well be the Dominican Republic for how many plantains are available and I am taking advantage while I still can. These dear "koch bananen" are so wonderful in savory stews, curries, enchiladas.. you name it, and I miss them terribly when I'm gone. (Gone where, you ask? Weeeelll I am in the first stages of arranging a move to Belgrade, Serbia in a few months to continue the work I started in Budapest on statelessness and legal invisibility. Its exciting!)

For this "recipe" I simply browned some plantains and some onions in a pan while boiling the water for polenta. When said water was boiled, I whisked in the polenta, then waited till it was thickened to add in plantains and onions. On top was plenty of salt, pepper, sweet paprika, cumin and hot sauce. A perfectly decadent comfort food lunch. Also, polenta is so cheap and makes so much, it is an excellent investment for the pantry.

Vegan Mofo: Skills III: Vegan Lasagna

2011-10-11T10:44:00.000-04:00

S-Y, enjoying the latest Vegan Mofo skill

Hey guys, isn't Vegan Mofo great? I'm loving the chance to find so many cool blogs I never heard of before, all cooking up gorgeous treats on the reg. My blogroll is going to be out of control by the time this month is over.

Any old ways, today I return to my mini-theme, Vegan Skillz. (With a "z", to appeal to the kidz.) That is, the stuff that all old-school vegans know how to do, and everybody else should learn. Today's skill is: Make a kick-ass lasagna.

Vegan Skill 3: Make a Kick-Ass Lasagna!

When asked, 99% of people would agree with the following statement: "Lasagna is my favorite food. It is the thing I like to eat on my birthday." Why? The answer is simple: layers of carbs draped in toothy tomato sauce with your choice of fillings in between. Its like eating several pizzas in every bite. (And who doesn't like that?)

However, when you go vegan you quickly realize that your favorite food is kinda gross. All that ricotta (with eggs in it? Why?) and greasy meat juice soaking it, and not enough sauce and too much mozzerella... it can go very wrong. That is why it is incumbent on you, my little friend, to create your own no-fail lasagna. It should be the ideal thing to bring to potlucks, to pull out of the oven on a rainy day, to serve to your in-laws when your girlfriend comes out of the closet. (Happy National Coming Out Day, btw!)

So here's my favorite recipe, layers of crunchy baked eggplant with a fruity sauce, but look around the blogosphere for you favorite ideas- some have pinenut-cream stuffed inside, others are layered with spinach or artichoke, still others have faux sausage crumbles inside. Just make sure you have one recipe down, so you can always be sure to have in your repertoire something that pleases all of the people all of the time.
**********************
T's Famous Eggplant-Parma-sagna!

Sauce
-Glug of olive oil
-1 large white onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, diced
-T. balsamic vinegar
-2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
-2 tsp. brown sugar
-1/2 tsp each marjoram and oregano
-crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

The Rest
-2 large eggplants, cut into 1/2" round slices
-1 cup bread crumbs
-olive oil or other oil
-1 package no-bake (eggless) lasagna noodles
-Nutritional Yeast or shredded vegan cheese

1.) First, get your eggplant station set up. Take your eggplant rounds and layer them, sprinkled with salt, in a large colander. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (200 C) and layer two cookie sheets with baking paper. Beside them on work-space, place a bowl or dish filled with bread crumbs, and a small glass with olive oil and a basting brush.

2.) Next make the sauce. In a pot on the stove, heat some olive oil over medium low. When oil is hot add in onions and a pinch of salt. After 2-3 minutes, add in garlic and cook together until soft and starting to brown. The add in balsamic vinegar to de-glaze. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, then add in rest of ingredients and raise heat to a boil. Cover, and lower to a simmer and let cook while you prepare the eggplants.

3.) Rinse the salt off eggplants and take them over to the bread crumbs. For each slice, pat dry with a kitchen towel, brush with oil, and dip both sides in bread crumbs. Layer on cookie sheet and when they are all dipped, place both in oven and cook until golden brown and crispy. While they cook (about 15-20 minutes), turn off heat under sauce, and if desired, blend with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust spices, then set aside for later use.

4.) Now we put it all together! In an oiled casserole dish, layer lasagna noodles, sauce, and baked eggplant rounds. When you get to the last of your eggplant rounds, put a layer of noodles and the rest of the sauce. On top of that, put a sprinkling of nutritional yeast and dried herbs, if desired, OR a layer of shredded vegan cheese. Cover with a tented piece of aluminum foil and cook 45 minutes at 400 degrees, then an additional 10 minutes with the tent off (you can even broil the top if desired.)

Serves 3-4
*********

Serve with a side salad w/ creamy faux-caesar dressing and a glass of strong red wine. I really just ate this and I'm dying its so good, seriously. I have got this skill down.

Song of the Day: Bright Eyes- Four Winds

Vegan Mofo: Rosenkohl

2011-10-10T16:22:00.001-04:00

What's for dinner in Berlin yard? Roasted rosenkohl (brussels sprouts) with caraway seeds and mashed potatoes with mushrooms, onions and garlic.

Perfect alongside an episode of Breaking Bad on one of the first truly gross, rainy and cold days of Autumn. Now back to that...

Vegan Mofo: Not-Elvis Banana Bread

2011-10-09T13:43:00.000-04:00

Frequently, when at a little shop or something, I come across something that is named after Elvis. More often than not, this item contains peanut butter, bananas and chocolate. I even used to order a milkshake in college that had chocolate, coffee, peanut butter and bananas, all called an Elvis milkshake! Guys, this is not biographically accurate!

I have been to Graceland. (I even stayed at the Heartbreak hotel, which may be in the running for the most surreal place in America.) Anyways, what Elvis apparently liked was peanut butter and bananas, grilled in between two slices of bread, with a couple of slices of bacon. (Its even in the Elvis Presley Cookbook.*) No chocolate. No coffee. Please, let's keep his legacy pure.

And therefore, this quickbread recipe, containing chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas (and no G.D. bacon) will be called "Not-Elvis Banana Bread" in hopes that I can start a trend of titular honesty in baked goods.

******
Not Elvis Banana Bread

2 C. all purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
pinch salt
3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
1 and 1/4 C. soymilk
1 T. applecider vinegar
1/4 C. oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 C. smooth peanut butter, melted
1/3 C. chocolate chips
(I omitted sugar from this recipe as I felt the bananas would be sweet enough, but feel free to add in 1/3 C. granulated sugar if you like it sweeter.)

1.) Preheat oven to 375 F. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and vinegar. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
2.) After milk has thickened, add in bananas, oil, vanilla extract and sugar (if using). Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir together until "just mixed". Gently fold in chocolate chips and peanut butter, just carefully stirring so you can still see swirls of peanut butter.
3.) Pour batter into a loaf pan, or muffin tins if desired, and place in middle rack of oven. A loaf takes about 45 minutes, muffins take somewhat less time, but either way remove when top is golden brown and a toothpick placed into the center comes out clean.

***************

*And by the by, now I really want to purchase and veganize the Elvis Presley Cookbook, the menus look AWESOME.

Song the Day: Elvis- Heartbreak Hotel

Vegan Mofo: Baking up a storm

2011-10-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

There's nothing I like better than spending a weekend morning in the kitchen making baked goods with whatever is left in the cabinets. I would say it feels a bit like playing housewife, especially when S. is in the other room hard at work and I am in the kitchen measuring cups of flour, but its a little pathetic to be "playing" anything at 28, let alone "housewife" when half of my friends are younger than me and married. So, we could say that rather than "playing" I am "being" a house-girlfriend, while simultaneously consciously and consensually reproducing a socially enforced gender role and thus fulfilling my Butler-ian feminist obligations. How 'bout that?

So anyways, the food! I made bagels! I've made them a zillion times before, (and here is a recipe) but this time they were different because I forgot the sugar! So, that was an innovation, of sorts, and they taste a little sour, but not necessarily in a bad way. And like many baked goods, after making them 5 times you can make them with your eyes closed so they aren't really a pain in the ass anymore. Try it, "T's 5X Method" on anything that you don't know how or don't like to do. It really works.

~~Song~~ Movie of the Day: The Stepford Wives (the original, 70's version)

Vegan Mofo: Ahh, fig season...

2011-10-07T11:55:00.001-04:00

A perfect Fall breakfast- soy yogurt, slivered almonds, figs, and a drizzle of agave nectar.

Have a great weekend!

Vegan Mofo: Skills- Cooking beans from scratch

2011-10-06T12:13:00.002-04:00

Today's essential vegan skill is cooking beans from scratch- that is, transforming them from their dried state on the bottom shelf of the grocery store aisle into a big pot of saucy deliciousness. Why should you bother to learn this?
1.) Buying a big bag of dried beans is cheaper than buying as many cans of beans! (And that's saying something, because canned beans are already kind of cheap.)
2.) You have more control over the flavor. Ever noticed all the gross salty water they pack in there?
3.) You get to have cred! Like, look! I took something that could take about ten seconds with a can opener, and stretched it over 2 days!

Ok, maybe I'm not selling this correctly. The truth is, if they had canned black beans in Europe readily available, maybe I would never have learned this "skill." But I still think people should try it once, because it can make a huge difference in the taste, and also, don't you want to know that you COULD make beans from dried if you needed to? If you were shipped off to war somewhere with no canned beans? And besides, you might find out that the taste is so much better that you always want to do it this way. And here's how!

Skill two: Cooking beans from scratch!
1.) Take your beans and spill 'em out somewhere to sort through them. My technique is to pour them about 1/4 a cup at a time onto a kitchen towel on the counter, sort them for rocks and broken pieces, then gather the towel at the top and dump it into my soaking container. (In this way, you can avoid spilling beans all over your kitchen at 11 o'clock at night like I always do.)

2.) Now for the soaking. As I demonstrated yesterday, you just need some kind of big container in which you place you beans and fill it with cold water. The best thing is to do this before you go to bed, stick it in the fridge, then it gets to sit the next day and they should be really ready by the time you want to cook them. (If you are making black beans, why not soak some cashews too and make cashew sour cream?)

3.) Alright now comes the rigorous part. After you beans have soaked as long as you can bear it (10-12 hours is usual for me) then you can start you cooking. Drain the beans in a colander than cover them with a few cups of fresh water in a large pot and bring that baby to a boil. Then reduce to simmer and cover, with a little room for steam to escape. (If you get some white foam at first you can skim it off with a spoon, though it won't hurt you.) How long you let it sit and simmer depends on many things: what quantity of beans you are cooking, how long they soaked, what phase the moon is in, and most of all, whether or not you have dinner guests. But I have found that the most common length of time is between 2 and 2 and 1/2 hours for 1 cup beans. You will have to keep adding more water periodically. (But don't add salt until the end!)

4.) In the meantime, you fry a bunch of stuff to put in them when they are done! (Terry Hope Romero calls this, "sofrito!") This is where your creativity comes in. Good combos:
-Simplicity: garlic, onions and peppers
-mushrooms, garlic and onions
-potatoes, carrots, onions
-small tempeh pieces, peppers, onions
Last night I fried up some quartered plantains first of all, then setting them aside, used the same hot pan to cook a bunch of onions and garlic. It doesn't matter whether they stay hot because you are just going to add them into your beans.

5.) Now that you've done that, painted your nails, replied to all of your emails, and whatever else you can accomplish is 2 and 1/2 hours, you can check on your beans. When they are perfect, it won't be huge effort to chew one and they will be easily mashable with a fork. At that time, you can add in your "sofrito", as well as some canned or fresh diced tomatoes (1/2 cup per cup of beans is good, but add more for saucier beans), and some cumin. I also add in cayenne pepper at this point, and a pinch of paprika. Beans eat up spices so you need not be stingy, and feel free to be creative. (Like if you are one of those cilantro types.)

6) Let the beans cook another 10-15 minutes with all the new ingredients folded in, or as long as it takes to cook some rice. Taste and adjust salt and spices. Serve with rice and some cashew sour cream, or if you're in the mood, with hot sauce, pickled onions, avocados and mango... whatever you have on hand!

It may not be the most gorgeous dish, but its so delicious.

Q: "But T, this is just for black beans! Is it the same for other kinds of beans?"

A: Kind of! You can use a similar process for other types of beans (except for lentils), but they take different amounts of time and go better with other flavors. Red beans take about 1 and 1/2 hours, and go great with just garlic and onions and a tons of spices (served with coconut rice, yum!) Adzuki beans take less time, chickpeas take more. But once you've experimented with dried beans you will find that the process doesn't vary much and there is a big reward to cooking them this way- namely, the taste.

What do you prefer, canned or dried?

Song of the Day: MGMT- It's working

Vegan Mofo: Essential Vegan Skillz 1- Cashew Cream

2011-10-05T11:45:00.003-04:00

Hey Mo-Foers! Now that I'm fairly settled back in Berlin and not moving to any other country's capitol that starts with a B until *at least* November, I can start a little bit with my very first Vegan MoFo "theme"!

Its not like I'm going to stick to this every day, because that's obviously too organized for me, however I thought it would be nice to have a little reoccurring item, namely, "Essential Vegan Skillz." I'm talking about those things that you learned how to do only when you started cooking vegan. The innovations made by the cookbook Gods, and perfected in the kitchen and in blogosphere. The simple tricks that have made everyone's life a little easier, and tastier. My idea is to explain the concept, demonstrate how-to, and then to show a few uses, maybe using other people's recipes as well. And then, hopefully, y'all will add variations and stuff in the comments!

First up: CREAMING CASHEWS for fun and profit

Who knows who first thought of using cashews to make a creamy base for dips, sauces, and sweets, but whoever it was may have been allergic to soy. After all, us vegans had to rely on on silken tofu for all of our cream needs for years, with short interludes of coconut milk... and to be fair, it wasn't such a bad choice. But sometimes you don't want to eat tofu in a soy based sauce washed down with a glass of soymilk. We vegans need variety as much as the next fool. Thus, was born the genius idea of blending cashews.

The basic concept is generally this: take raw, unsalted cashews and place them in a container with plenty of water, overnight. (Or at least for 8 hours, like, while you are away at work. )

Cashews soaking, next to some black beans for tomorrow's "skill"

Blend a lot, and scrape the sides of your container with a spatula.

Next, you blend the plumped up cashews with a bit of liquid and some flavoring if you so desire, using a food processor or a handheld immersion blender.

Finally you have something that looks like this (or more liquid and creamier, if you added more liquid and blended longer.) It has a delicate taste and can be enhanced to suit your sordid needs.

Seen here as a topping for rice and beans- heaven

Of course, there is my favorite use, as a sour cream substitute. (Both Vegan Brunch and Viva Vegan offer variations on this recipe.) A little bit of cooling vinegar blended in with the cashews, plus a little salt and you've got an excellent topping for spicy soups and beans. Used this way its also good blended with fresh herbs, onions, garlic or cucumbers for dips. The other main way I use it blended with a bit of agave nectar for a creamy compliment to pies, as seen below with peach pie.

In addition you can use it as a creamy base for casseroles and stove-top specialties. For instance, Isa uses cashews as the base for her awesome Mac and 'Shews. Its also the basis for her famous Rad Whip, an amazing whip cream substitute. You can even make cashew cheese as an app to serve your skeptical omni friends. (You use a cheesecloth to make the cheese more thick and creamy...yum!)

Once you have mastered the art of taming the cash(r)ew, there is no stopping what you can accomplish. Well, food-wise at least.

So that was my first "Essential Vegan Skillz" topic, stay tuned for more in the month to come!

Song of the Day: The Smiths- This Charming Man

Vegan MoFo: Chipotle BBQ'd Tofu, Polenta w/ Spinach

2011-10-04T15:28:00.002-04:00

On the way back from Serbia to Budapest I sat on the Slowest Train in Europe™ next to a soccer player from the US who was traveling between games. Aside from being incredibly jealous that this 21 year old made more in 1 year than I have... ever, I enjoyed reminsicing with him over the awesome food available in our respective home towns, DC and LA. The pupusas! The pad thai! The kale! (Well, that part was just me.) And although the convo made my stomach hurt a little for the US, I had a smirk on my face, knowing that soon I would be back in Berlin, where I can re-create many of these dishes, even if there aren't restaurants offering them on every corner.

So of course today I rushed out to buy plantains and black beans, *good* tofu, tahini, miso, and all of these things I missed in Budapest which are easily available in my neighborhood in Kreutzberg. To kick things off with a bang, I made this plain old comfort food meal for me and my reunited (#anditfeelssogood) boyfriend, S. (And if you had pre-made BBQ sauce, then you've got a reallyquick weeknight meal here.)

Its the Chipotle BBQ sauce I've shown here before, except this time I added in an extra chipotle because I was just so happy to have them back. As a result it was wicked spicy, but that was a nice contrast to the creamy polenta. No secret to this, I just added in a few handfuls of raw spinach halfway through the cooking of the polenta. I topped it all with a bit of soy yogurt because it was so spicy. Me and S. gobbled all of the tofu almost instantly, but its ok.... I bought a few extra just cubes out of pure, unadulterated joy and optimism to be back in Berlin.

Song of the Day: Same as yesterday, I love St. Vincent!

Vegan Mofo: Pasta alla Norma

2011-10-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

This looks so good, doesn't it?

Well, here's a Vegan Mofo lesson for you my friend... looks, and non-genetically modified eggplants, can be deceiving.

I was recently attempting to make one of my favorite simple old recipes, "Pasta all Norma" which is basically just a chunky tomato sauce with fried eggplant, a good bunch of basil, and chilis. Its easy but great, especially if you are an eggplant-obsessive like myself.

However, on this occassion for whatever reason, for the first time ever I didn't salt the eggplants before cooking them. I was starting to think that this step was just superstitious, and didn't matter because most eggplants have had the bitterness bred out of them after all this time. Unfortunately, this must not be true for garden eggplants. This was so incredibly bitter! I mean, I ate it anyways, but the whole time I had a pissed off look on my face. (That's the bad thing about eating in all the time... you have no one to blame but yourself.)

Regardless, provided you salt your eggplant beforehand, I recomment the recipe linked to above for a quick and sexy dinner, especially with some red wine. I'll make it again soon, but from now on I am listening to all old-wives tales about food.

Song of the day: Kate Nash- Foundations

Vegan Mofo- Moving on...

2011-10-02T17:25:00.000-04:00

Uh-oh, looks like I'm already tardy to Vegan Mofo Party! I hope there is still enough pita and hummus to go around!

But don't worry, I have an excellent reason for my lateness... namely, I thought today was October 1st. You see, I have been traveling (very, very slowly) on trains in Eastern Europe and my sense of time seems to have slowed to match. I was in Belgrade, Serbia this week, and it was amazing! I attended a conference on legal invisibility and statelessness in Serbia, stayed at a fancy hotel, and drank too much coffee and wine. (Ugh, don't you hate that mixture of being half-way over caffeinated and halfway buzzed?) As for food, I had an amazing fig salad, some vegetable curry (weird, right?), some kind of baked beans dish, broiled paprika, and more, however, I didn't take pictures. Sorry.. but I was straining the whole time to act unimpressed with the free hotel, free food, famous human rights lawyers.. so taking pictures of my food did not fit in with the image of an talented lawyer who goes to these kinds of conferences all the time that I was trying so desperately (and probably so obviously) to project. But over all, it was a successful visit and I *might* be returning to Belgrade soon for further escapades with legal invisibility... fingers crossed. And hopefully next time, I will venture beyond a hotel courtyard and check out some of the city's many vegetarian options.

And for my last meal in Budapest? I wanted to use up all the leftover produce so my roomate wouldn't hate me in a week. So I had a garlicky, gingery stir fry with bok choy, butternut squash, and these mysterious speckled pink beans I found a few days ago. It was homey and satisfying, and as good a kick-off to Vegan Mofo as any! Now, time to get moving, and prepare mentally for another 14 hour train ride...

song of the day: St. Vincent- Cruel

Butternut Squash and Spinach Curry

2011-09-26T08:46:00.001-04:00

Its my last few days in Budapest and everything is crazy-go-nuts!

I'm teaching an LSAT prep class at the Central European University, I'm going to Belgrade, Serbia for a conference on Wednesday through Saturday, and I still have to sell my bike, move and say goodbye to all the nice folks I have met. However, I'm not all that stressed! I think being busy is the secret to happiness and success, and my problem on the whole, as an unemployed person, has rather been too much of the opposite. So I'm taking advantage of this nice busy back-to-school feeling and hoping it can hold over when I arrive back in Berlin.

I'm also trying to take advantage of my last few days in Budapest to admire the awesome fall weather and even awesomer fall produce.

One of the very rad things about Budapest (or at least my neighborhood) is the availability of local produce. Little stands or hole-in-the-wall stores stock whatever fruits and vegetables currently in season in Hungary, plus homemade pickles or other extras like herbs or eggs.

Unlike in Berlin, or DC for that matter, most of the produce comes from within the country and not from, say, Italy or Chile. As a result its not so often that I stumble across avocados, or sweet potatoes. (They are, naturally, available at specialty or big grocery stores.) However, this sort of local eating has its benefits. First, the produce I do get is always perfectly in season and awesome. I can't get cherries now, sure, but in the beginning of the summer there were cherries everywhere and they were incredible- and now we have pears. The second thing is, having limits on what's available to eat makes me try to develop simple ways to enjoy what's available. For example, when there are gorgeous peppers and tomatoes everyone you know you had better cook up some lecso.

Or now, when butternut squash has appeared along with some rare handfuls of spinach, I can tempt myself and my nosy Hungarian neighbors with this awesome and incredibly simple butternut squash curry. Even with my limited travel spice rack I could make it, and for those of you with more advanced curry techniques, just add'em on in. It was super easy and the butternut squash basically melts, making this excellent fall comfort food.

Butternut Squash and Spinach Curry (serves 2)

-1 big onion, diced
-3 garlic cloves, diced
-1 T ginger (about 1/2" peeled and diced small)
-2 T good quality curry powder
-1 medium butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into 1" cubes
-3 cups Spinach, washed
-1 16 oz can coconut milk (or lite coconut milk)

1.) In a large saute pan, cook onion with a pinch of salt over medium low heat for 2-3 minutes. Then add in garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant and soft, then add in butternut squash. Sprinkle with curry powder and cook for 10-15 minutes, until squash pieces are slightly browned on the outside and softer.
2.) Add in coconut milk and raise heat to medium/ medium high. Add in spinach on top, then stir into mixture as it starts to wilt. When coconut milk comes to a boil, lower heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust for salt and curry powder and cook a few minutes more if necessary.

Serve over basmati rice, with pumpkin seeds for garnish.
*****************
In addition to all the other craziness, did you guys know that its practically Vegan MoFo? The cut-off date is Wednesday, so if you want to sign up, or have no idea what I'm talking about, head on over to Mofo HQ to get the business.

Song of the Day: Paperdoll- You can't stop it

Corn Soup and Scenes from late summer

2011-09-15T02:37:00.001-04:00

I love summer as much as the next Leo, but can anything beat the back-to-school feel of early September? You still have all the best things about summer- sunshine, perfectly ripe veggies and fruit, a tan- but the focus subtly shifts from decadence and laziness to a feeling of getting down to business. I'm not in school anymore, but I still love to re-arrange my closet, sharpen my pencils, and get to work.

But even so, here in Budapest the last few weeks have had all of the pleasures of late summer- perfect bike riding weather, all the amazing peaches, plums, and sweet corn you can eat, and even a quick day trip to Tokaj, Hungary's volcanic wine region. (As you can see from the photos above, its pretty gorgeous, and full of cute dogs.) But now, with the days already getting shorter I'm ready to get on my grind. And for me, that also means actually cooking, instead of, say, rubbing garlic and tomatoes on crusty bread for dinner every night. (Not that this isn't a lovely meal.)

Last night I decided to cook all the leftover bounty into a nice hot soup (that's right Hungarians, none of this cold creamed frout soup bullshit, I'm an American!) with plenty of late summer's greatest hits. Wilted peppers, sweet corn and their cobs, with just tomatoes and potatoes for a little umami and heft. It was deeply satisfying, and actually easy enough that you could probably figure it out yourselves, but I'll give you just a run down of how I made it below and you can adjust it to what's left in your kitchen if you so desire.

****
End of Summer Corn Soup
1. Make the stock- remove the kernels of corn from 2-3 cobs of corn and set aside. Fill a stock pot 3/4's full with water, and add in: the leftover cobs, 1 onion cut in half, 2-3 smashed garlic cloves, a buillon cube, salt, and several whole peppercorns (a dried chili wouldn't be out of place either, just be sure to fish it out later). Let it boil down for an hour or so.

2. Next add in a good glop of olive oil and any chopped up veggies and beans that you have laying around- diced red peppers, diced boiling potatoes, peas, cranberry beans, greens, the corn, ect.

Serve with salt and pepper and crusty bread, and baby, you got a soup on!
****

Yes, I'm fully intent on squeezing the last bit of summer into my Fall, and also getting every last minute of enjoyment out of Budapest. In a few weeks I will head to Belgrade, Serbia for a conference, and then back to Germany... and who knows where the wind will take me next?

Song of the Day: Squeeze- Tempted

Vegan Break Up Power

2011-08-25T04:56:00.006-04:00

UGH.

Sorry I haven't been posting lately, but I have a good reason. My gorgeous, perfect, moody German boyfriend broke up with me so I haven't been doing a lot of eating. Or cooking. On the bright side, am now skinniest ever!*

(*I'm just kidding pro-ana blog-stalkers, go get help!)

I find that most people come in one of two varieties- emotional trauma either leaves them nauseated and unable to eat, or causes them to gorge on anything and everything. I always assumed I was the latter, but this time around the heartbreak block I'm finding myself completely unappetized.

The little I do eat usually comes out of a box (or a bottle, haha) however I did muster up the energy the other day to not only head to the grocery store, but actually cook something. Well, kind of. As I mentioned the last time I went through a break-up (yes, this blog has seen two breakups, and yes, that is the most depressing thought I've had all day) I recommended salads as excellent alternative breakup food. First of all, they are bright and cheerful. Second, all the chopping is an excellent displacement activity. And third, they are healthy, as a break for the bingers, yet light- as a break for the nauseous.

Well, I went for a variation of this as my main meal this week, inspired by an entire loaf of bread that I bought when I was still together with S. and wildly optimistic about what kind of healthy eating habits the future held. Just like making lemons out of lemonade, you can take that stale, neglected loaf of bread and make panzanella! With peaches, for sweetness.

Peach and Tomato Panzanella

4 c. medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, minced very finely
2 spring onions (green parts) sliced on the diagonal
2 big peaches, cut into chunks
Sea salt and fresh pepper
Olive oil
4 cups bread- toasted or grilled, cut into chunks

1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, onions and salt & pepper in large bowl. Let it all sit and get juicy while you toast the stale bread slices and cut them cubes. Add in peaches and a big drizzle of olive oil.
2. When bread is room temp, toss everything together. (Fresh basil would be a nice addition here as well.) Let it all sit at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour, and serve with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar and big ole glass of wine spritzer. If you have just broken up with someone feel free to eat straight out of the bowl.

Song of the Day: Taylor Swift- You Belong with Me (THAT'S RIGHT! FTW!!!)

As a special bonus, here is my breakup playlist:T's Tragic Breakup Playlist for the Brokenhearted ENJOY!

Vegan Hot Dog Toppings to Drool Over

2011-07-08T04:56:00.001-04:00

Is there is any greater summer pleasure than sitting on your porch on a hot night, drinking a beer and eating a hot dog (or in my case, two)? No, I didn't think so. Since I found the awesome vegan hot dogs offered by my local bio store on 4th of July, I've developed a little bit of an obsession- two vegan dogs on crusty rolls with fried (almost burnt) onions and too much ketchup. Its heaven after a long bike ride home alongside the Danube... and just junky enough to counteract my workout. (Oh well.)

Anyways, this obsession doesn't show signs of abating anytime soon, and I found myself sitting at work today trying to dream up new and greater toppings. Interestingly enough, there are tons of ideas across the veggie-blog-o-sphere, so instead of selfishly keeping them all to myself, I thought I would share! Here they are, 5 supremely delish ideas for topping your veggie dog.

1. Crif Dog: Faux bacon wrapped, with avocado and sour cream from Eating Appalachia

2. Southern Slaw Dogs: Jumbo dogs w/ vegan chili and coleslaw (with a side of orange soda) from Happy Herbivore

3. Sonoran Dog: Faux bacon wrapped dog w/ salsa, cheeze sauce, beans, jalapeños, onions, cilantro, mayo and mustard from Vegan Brew

4. Japadog: with teriyaki, sautéed onions, wasabi mayo, and toasted nori from Chow Vegan

5. Rhode Island-Style New York System Hot Weiners: (all the way) w/ "meat" topping, celery salt, onions and mustard from Tasty Planet

EVEN MORE RIDIC IDEAS:

*Wonderland: Vegan Bratwurst w/ sauteed onions and peppers
*Copenhagen: Ketchup, mayo, pickles, tons of crispy fried onions
*Tongue-burner: Sriracha, fresh ginger, kim chee
*Bollywood: Mango Chutney, faux cheddar
*Mexi-Can: Black beans, salsa, pickled red onions, jalapeños
*BBQ: Grilled and basted in BBQ sauce, topped with sautéed onions and diced tomatoes
*German: Sweet Bavarian mustard and sauerkraut (na, klar)
*Toronto: Hot banana peppers, corn relish, mustard, ketchup, olives
*SMP: Pineapple and jalapeños
*Hummus: Hummus, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, salt and pepper
*Island: vertically sliced fried plantains, avocado or guacamole, hot sauce

Man, this was a tough post to get through because now I'm so hungry! What are your favorite hot-dog toppings, or what everyone else likes in your neck of the woods?

Song of the Day: Hasil Adkins- No More Hot Dogs

Hey babe, its the 4th of July

2011-07-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

It's my second July 4th away from the United States. Say what you want about patriotism and flag-waving, but the 4th is a holiday I can get into. Being from DC, we truly have the greatest fireworks in the whole country (and its the greatest country in the world, so should we say, the greatest fireworks in the WORLD? kidding, kidding). Not only that, but Independence day where I'm from means beer, hot dogs, and tons of cakes with strawberries and blueberries arranged in a flag. No gift giving, no costumes, just drinking, grilling, and watching fireworks. Does it get any better?

This year, I managed to find some soy hot dogs at my local bio shop, steamed sweet corn, and a huge, massive apple pie (with an all-margarine crust, for the first time ever!) that got gobbled up before I could snatch a photo. No fireworks, and the beer was most certainly not American swill, but it came pretty damn close to my July 4ths of yore. Until I'm rich enough to fly back to the US for my favorite holidays, this is a decent replica.

Song of the Day: Kid Cudi ft. MGMT -Pursuit of Happiness

Hungarian Vegan: Lecsó

2011-06-29T05:23:00.001-04:00

You can tell a lot about a country's priorities by what kind of vegan food they have. At home in America, for instance, we've got delightfully rubbery soy hot dogs, veganaise, sliced cheese, and hundreds of different kinds of veggie burgers. (Are we a barbeque-oriented country or what?) Go to France and Belgium and you will find delicious soy yogurt in every variety and flavor, as well as thick vegan chocolate-hazelnut spread to die for and soy creamer that puts US versions to shame. (They like their breakfasts creamy and sweet.) Germany has vegan quark, a sort of thick yogurty-cream cheese beloved by German frauen, as well as seitan curry wurst to enjoy with spicy ketchup. And Austria? Welcome to vegan wiener schnitzel country. With a side of lemony potato salad, bitte! (see at right)

But here in Hungary, folks are wild about paprika in its every incarnation. So enter a bio-market in Budapest and you will find the most amazing paprika-spiked vegan sausages, and lots of varieties of them. Sweet, smoky, and spicy, but always with plenty of red paprika that bleeds into whatever else you're cooking. Since I can't read Hungarian (YET) I've been stocking up on these sausages when I have some extra cash, and they make a great surprise addition to whatever else I'm cooking, since I never know what spices will appear. Greens, beans, and corn all get a texture and taste boost from these sausages.

Enter my Hungarian flatmate, K, who has an even better idea. "Lecsó" is a dish made with Hungarian superstars peppers, tomatoes and onions. Its a simple dish, the only rule is, there has to be twice as many peppers as tomatoes, or it will be too bitter. You can also use up your not-so-fresh peppers and tomatoes here, it will still be great. It's very versatile- add eggplant and you've got Serbia djuvece, add a little broth or water and you have a saucier dish that would be nice over pasta. People often use bacon or sausage for a little fat, or add a fried egg on top (a dollop of soy sour cream wouldn't be out of place either). But served just with a little bread, you have a cheap and delicious Hungarian summer classic.

*************
Lecsó ("Leh-cho")
(Note: this is an approximation, just keep to the rule of thumb of twice as many peppers as tomatoes and you'll be fine. Also, you can sub other peppers for Hungarian yellow paprika, but you may want to adjust the flavorings .)

-olive oil
-1 big onion (or two small) diced
-1 Hungarian-style vegetarian sausage (or sub about 3/4 cup some other type of crumbly sausage and add 1 tablespoon smoked or sweet paprika as it cooks with the onion)
-8 Hungarian yellow peppers, cut into chunky dice
-4 tomatoes, diced
-salt and pepper, sugar (optional)

1.) In a large non-stick pan, saute onion and sausage in a little olive oil over medium heat until onion is soft and flavored by sausage. (If using paprika spice, add it now.)
2.) Add in peppers and cook for 10 minutes. Then add in tomatoes, salt and pepper (and an optional pinch of sugar.) Cook for 20 minutes, or until saucy and peppers are cooked to desired "done-ness."

Serve w/ rice or crusty bread.
**********

What vegetarian specialties does your country or region have?

Song of the Day: Gogol Bordello- Start Wearing Purple

Asian slaw, Grilled Tofu, and Sweet Potatoes w/ lime

2011-06-16T05:35:00.000-04:00

Back in May I went back to the US for a few weeks to visit with my parents, enjoy the heat, and basically calm myself before moving to yet another new country. (The multitude of Real Housewives and Daily Show marathons weren't unwanted, either.) As usual, my generous parents plied me with Thai food, guacamole, and all the bagels I could eat. Amidst all this, I did a great deal more "lying on the couch" than "standing in the kitch," however, we did have one famous meal I can share with you.

My Dad had gotten obsessed with Asian slaw after eating a great version at a fancy restaurant in DC: crunchy vegetables, a spicy, peanutty sauce, and on top, perfectly grilled scallops. We decided to have our own version, with scallops for the omnis and grilled tofu (tofu brushed with oil and sprinkled with seasoned salt) for me and my brother. On the side was a basic sweet potato salad: grilled chunks of sweet potatoes with lime, cumin, and a touch of maple syrup.

The dressing was easy to make and the slaw makes a ton, so this is definitely a great crowd-pleaser for a mixed group. Here's the complete menu I would serve for a perfect summery feast:

Summer Asian-Fusion Inspired Grill Menu

Mint Mojitos
Store-bought Veggie Springrolls for an app
Spicy Asian Slaw
Plain grilled Tofu (or scallops for omnis)
Grilled Sweet Potato Salad w/ lime
Fresh Mango w/ a scoop of Coconut ice cream for dessert

*****
Spicy Asian Slaw

For dressing:
-1/4 cup + 2 T smooth peanut butter
-4 T. fresh lime juice
-3 T. H2O
-1 T. Soy Sauce* (Many recipes call for fish sauce, so if you have vegan fish-flavored sauce feel free to use that here.)
-3 T. sugar or Agave nectar
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1 T. Sriracha (or to taste)

1.) Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. If its too thick, add a little more water. Refrigerate until immediately before serving.

For Slaw
-ca. 2 lbs. napa cabbage, shredded
-1/2 a red cabbage, shredded
-2 large red peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced
-3 large carrots, shredded or thinly sliced
-Cilantro or mint (optional)

1.) Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with dressing and top with cilantro or mint, if using.
*****

Oh USA, I will miss you and your plethora of ethnic grocery stores, packed with delights. Now back to Budapest...

Song of the Day: Bob Marley- Sun is shining

Mushroom Paprikás

2011-06-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend S. came to visit me in my new digs in Budapest. Since I haven't been doing a lot of "cooking" these last couple of weeks (more like "foraging"), I was excited to have someone else around to inspire me to get back in the kitchen. After wandering around the city all day, visiting friends and checking out cute little stores in the Jewish District, we headed back home with some gorgeous Hungarian yellow peppers and a vague plan to make paprikás.

Paprikás (pronounced "paprikash") is a relatively simple traditional meal that normally involves some kind of protein, ample smoked or sweet paprika, peppers, tomatoes and sour cream. Even with this simple base, it is so unique and delicious, and really lends itself well to veganizing. I've made it before with chickpeas (from The Urban Vegan's recipe) and thought it was fantastic, but this time we lacked both chickpeas AND powdered paprika spice (oddly enough, for being in Budapest...)

However, I had a ton of mushrooms, and a jar of this weird kind of pureed red pepper paste that I've been experimenting with lately. If paprikás really needs red pepper flavor, than what's the big flavor difference between powder and paste, right?

Well, actually there is a difference. It was WAY better than usual. This red pepper paste has found its fate. (In fact, it probably says to use it this way on the jar, but I don't speak one word of Hungarian.*) If you are going to duplicate this at home, I would recommend either trying to find the original Hungarian stuff at a Eastern European market, or just looking around for the red pepper tapenade that occasionally pops up in stores. However, keep in mind that the Hungarian version I have is both very mild and quite salty and piquant- hence the extra sugar in the recipe. There's bound to be different versions out there. Additionally, you'll need soy yogurt or sour cream for this, and we all know that these products have varying degrees of reliability. Just test it out and you'll be fine.

At any rate, I urge you to try Paprikás one of these days- either mine, Isa's version with tofu, or The Urban Vegan's cookbook version with chickpeas. It is such a crowd-pleaser, so adaptable, and such a great gift from Hungary to the world.

Mushroom Paprikas
(Serves 2 generously)
-oil
-1 large white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- a package or about 2 cups brown mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
-3 Hungarian yellow peppers, de-seeded and cut into a big dice
-2 and 1/2 tablespoons mild Hungarian red pepper paste/ cream (it kind of looks like this.)
-2 tomatoes, diced
-1 T Agave Nectar (optional)
-1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup soy yogurt or sour cream, at room temp.
- Green onions for topping (optional)

1.) In a large skillet or cast iron pan, heat oil over medium and add in onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add in garlic. Cook another 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
2.) Add in mushrooms and season w/ salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, another 5 minutes then add in peppers.
3.) When both peppers and mushrooms are softened, add in tomatoes, agave, red pepper paste, and water. Continue stirring occasionally until you have a nice saucy pan.
4.) In a small bowl, combine room temp yogurt or sour cream with a heaping spoonful of the sauce, and mix together with a fork. Add this mixture into your pan. Stir until incorporated, taste once more for salt, then turn off heat and cover until ready to serve. Serve over pasta or spaetzle., sprinkled with green onions. A nice glass of sweet Hungarian wine wouldn't be out of place either.

Song of the Day: Grizzly Bear- Two Weeks

Berlin to Budapest

2011-06-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hey party people!

I'm writing to you now after a long absence due to my hectic last month, which included a visit to the USA, a return to Berlin, and all of the preparations to get here to crazy, sexy Budapest! It was a stressful transition, but it everytime I move to a new country it seems to get easier. Probably its about accepting that you are going to be desperately confused for about a month, and trying just to relax and enjoy the panic.

I took an overnight train (for only 29€!) from Berlin, offering me the unique experience of sleeping with 6 other people in the space of a janitors closet while we passed by Dresden, Prague, Bratislava, and a bunch of other random European cities. We arrived the next morning at Budapest's Keleti station, a train station that is both beautiful and sketchy as all get out. (There's all these weird back hallways with people playing cards and drinking shots at 9am...) Luckily, my new roommate was waiting for me, and took me back to our neighborhood which is still sketchier. On our block we have a heroin needle exchange, a brothel, a park which looks like a meeting point for human traffickers, and on the bright side, a gay bar called "Desire."

But despite the sketchiness, my apartment is lovely and centrally enough located to make the slightly disconcerting surrounding bearable. Just look, a mere 20 minute walk and I'm here, at the Central Market Hall in Fõvám square!

As a vegetarian traveling to Budapest this is a MUST. They have everything, from all varieties of local fruits and vegetables (like gorgeous Hungarian peppers) to every spice imaginable, including Hungary's favorite ingredient, paprika. (Both smoked and sweet varieties, natch.) Since I am too busy to prepare food at the moment (*sob*) I picked up some of Hungary's most available summertime fruits: flattened peaches and lascivious red cherries. I've been eating both with soy yogurt, muesli and agave nectar for a daily breakfast before heading over to Buda for my traineeship.

Meanwhile, back in Berlin, Summer is in full swing, with tons of festivals, live music playing by wanderlust-y tourists, and of course, a huge produce scare. You might wonder how cucumbers could become tainted with E.Coli.... or maybe, since you are vegetarian you don't wonder. (Hint: its from animal shit.) Sad. But look at these beautiful rainbows over Görlitzer Park!
Before I left I had a small dinner party to say goodbye to all my pals. Staying away from cucumbers and tomatoes, we indulged in a humungous pot of risotto, packed with sugar snap peas, asparagus, and lemon juice and zest. To reproduce in your own home, follow my normal risotto recipe (using 2 cups rice), lightly saute peas and asparagus on the side, then at the last minute, fold in veggies along with the juice and rind of one lemon. Completely lekker.

Meanwhile, its time to adjust to my new kitchen and get cooking here in Budapest. Wish me luck!!

Song of the Day: Ben Folds Five- Whatever and Ever, Amen

Passover: Success!

2011-04-26T11:29:00.003-04:00

Well, what can I say? You freak out, go to 15 different grocery stores, jabber indecisively about menus for 2 weeks, and cook for 2 days straight, and then you have a success! That's Passover, baby. Its a pain in the ass, but its worth it.

All my Germans (that's also the title of my new soap opera, btw, "All My Germans") showed up on time and ready to be educated about what, exactly, a Seder is. They were rather shocked that it was pretty straight-forward and undemanding- we had the Haggadahs printed out (I'm not fancy enough to have 12 of my own) and my friend Kat and I did most of the reading, saving the "read-along" portion for the all-important Passover story, ie, the tale of the Jews departure from Egypt. As not everyone speaks English that fantastically, we gave the option that anyone who didn't want to read a paragraph could just say "passover"! But actually, everyone did read and even discussed afterward. It was a dream-Seder, actually, and no one complained about the hour of dipping and reading preceding the meal.

And speaking of the meal, everything shockingly came together on time! It helped that I had made about half of the items before, but still I was thrilled that there wasn't a last minute moussaka induced panic-attack, or similar. For the matzoh ball soup, I made a lemongrass-ginger-kaffir lime broth this year, with plenty of mushrooms for depth. It worked wonderfully with the fluffy matzoh balls, and was arguably the hit of the meal. (Below, a couple of my lovely friends enjoying.)

As for the rest, I wasn't fantastic about getting pics with all of the action, but you can kind of glean what was served from my leftover plate, minus the moussaka.

Clockwise, matzoh, cucumber dip from V'Con, Quinoa-Tzimmes Tagine with carrots, sweet potatoes and apricots, and apple-walnut charoset. Not pictured, mushrooms stuffed with shallots and garlic, Eggplant Potato Moussaka from V'Con, and chocolate mousse provided by a friend for dessert.

All in all, I was very pleased with the turnout, both guest-wise and food-wise. It was a great way to say a temporary good-bye to Berlin and give my friends a little demo of both Judaism and veganism. I hope they had as much fun as I did!

Next year in Budapest?

Pre-Passover Freakout!

2011-04-18T08:30:00.001-04:00

Here's a photo of our window herb-garden blooming to represent the fact that: it's Spring! That's nice and all, but I am in a total tizzy! In two weeks I'll be heading back to the USA for an extended visit, and then coming back to Berlin only to head directly to Budapest for a summer internship. In the meantime, there's Passover, Easter, a ton of friend's birthdays, and all the normal stresses associated with being a cleaning lady.

But, I am trying to put off the freakouts just a little bit longer and approach the coming madness with the sort of non-chalance that I am known for. (Not.)

In the meantime I've been having some casual meals like the one pictured above: my take on blini w/ caviar. My friends and I made these little pancakes w/ a bit of onion mixed in, then topped them with a sauteed mince of mushroom and peppers laced with balsamic and soy sauce to make it a bit salty. On top, a dollop of soy yogurt (sour cream would also be nice) and spring onions. Perfect fancy little dinner.

And now onto Pesach! Every year I plan a huge Passover Seder and every year I end up freaking out! This year is no different. I'm having 12-15 Berliners over, only one of whom is Jewish, and trying to not only teach them about Passover but also do the whole thing vegan for a bunch of avowed meat-eaters. Yikes. I am trying to avoid major problems this year in 3 ways:
-testing out a few new recipes beforehand
-making about 1/2 the meal the day before
-doing some experimental combos that take some of the labor out of the traditional meal, and make it exotic enough that people don't even think about meat or dairy.

I hope it works! As you can see, I have a sort of Middle Eastern/ Sephardic theme going on, what with the orange and almond salad, tagine-esque quinoa, and various dips. This is also partially because of the unavailability (or expensiveness) of a lot ingredients I would normally use. However, there's still matzoh balls, so I guess its all ok.

At the end of the day, its one night of these people's lives, so if something goes wrong I am not going to freak out. But since I want people to walk away with a better understanding of both Judaism and Veganism, I am definitely feeling the pressure.

With that said, I present this year's potential Passover Seder Menu:

-Traditional Apple-Walnut Charoset
-V'Con Cucumber Dip
-Baba Ghanoush
-Kosher for passover Matzoh ball soup (recipe here or here) (ie, no tofu!)
-Giant Salad w/ Spinach, Arugula, Almonds and Orange slices and some sort of dressing
-Quinoa Tzimmes Tagine (?)
-This is an idea for a recipe that came to me which combines roasted root veggies and quinoa as a heartier, make-ahead side. It will be roasted chunks of sweet potatoes and carrots, added into a quinoa prepared with onions, garlic, ginger, and some morrocan-ish spices, ie, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon. On top will be some diced apricots.
-Eggplant Potato Moussaka w/ Pinenut Cream (from V'Con)
-Herbacious Leek and Mushroom Kugel (from years past)

And for dessert, coconut macaroons, expresso, and chocolate covered strawberries.

Ok, let me know what you think. Am I missing something? Is quinoa AND moussaka weird? Am I freaking out too much?

Anyways, if you are planning your own seder please feel free to peruse my archives:
-2010 "Dip" Seder
-2009 Seder with recipes that work for Easter and Passover

I'll post pictures afterwards to show you how it went!

Happy Spring!

Song of the Day: Get Down Moses- Joe Strummer

Magic Vegan Sandwich to the Rescue!

2011-04-04T10:05:00.006-04:00

Not to constantly emphasize a really obvious point, but being poor SUCKS! Today I was so low on funds that I couldn't afford a U-Bahn ticket and spent my entire ride to and from work staring at the train doors, ready to jump off if anyone looked remotely like a ticket inspector. (Here in 'Schland-land they use the honor system to get you to buy tickets, but do random checks every so often, and if caught you face a massive fine.) Luckily, I made it to work without getting caught, but when I complained to my boss about how my late paycheck had brought me to petty crime, she totally didn't sympathize.

Whatever. Anyways, when you are very poor you always have a secret weapon to fall back on: the magic vegan sandwich! I have talked about the magic vegan sandwich before, as it has often been there for me in my times of need. My roomates and I discovered in college that just a few ingredients makes a sort of mixture between a grilled cheese and garlic bread for the vegan crowd. Its very easy to eat 4 or 5 washed down with some chocolate soymilk and be a very happy camper.

You needn't wait until being poor to make it, its just good, cheap comfort food that is open to endless variation (due to its ridiculous simplicity.)

Here's what you will need:
-Bread, especially soft, crusty bread
-Vegan Margarine (Earth balance is perfection)
-herbs and spices
-a tomato, even a deeply sad one

Here's the magic recipe:
1.) Heat a pan brushed with oil over medium-low heat. Take a goodly sized knob of margarine and mix in any of the following: salt, pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, paprika, white pepper, nooch, garlic powder, herbs de provence. Especially classic is ample garlic powder, nooch, oregano and pepper. You can mix these into the butter with a fork, and check if the taste is right (you don't want it too salty.)

2.) Spread said mixture thickly onto sliced crusty bread. Easy but crucial.

3. Place bread face down into hot pan and fry, checking occasionally to make sure not too hot.

4. When inside is crusty and brown, remove from heat and fill with tomatoes. You could also, of course, fry some onions in the leftover margerine in the pan, or slice some avocado thinly and add in, or use as the basis for a blt or similar. But just plain old tomatoes in the crunchy, herby bread is also a classic.

So now that I've explained to death the easiest sandwich in the world, I think I will go make a another one. And scrounge around the apartment for change so I don't have to risk my luck with ticket inspectors again tomorrow!

OOH, also, Urban Vegan has a list of 101 Vegan Picnic Ideas, a la Bittman as well!!! Check it out over at Miss UV herself...

Song of the Day: Chuck Berry - You Never Can Tell

Not quite Spring, but almost...

2011-03-29T08:30:00.001-04:00

Hello friends! I know the question on everyone's mind: is it Spring yet in Berlin? The answer is: kind of. Its like, sunny and stuff, and everyone's out in the park, there are one or two flowers popping out, but.... its still winter coat weather, and any lying around in the park is primarily based on wishful thinking rather than inviting weather.

Oh well. A few more days I think. At any rate, this sort of nervous, not-really-spring-not-really-winter holding pattern seems to be pushing people a bit to the brink... everyone seems to be in a bad mood, some arsonist is setting prams on fire in apartment buildings all over the city, and on top of it all, there was the recent death of poor Knut, the Berlin zoo's famously abandoned polar bear and somewhat of a Berlin mascot. And I'm sure you guys are aware of what's been going on in Japan and Libya. Not to mention the death of the fabulous Liz Taylor. Alright, there's a lot of reasons to feel un-springlike. But despite the last vestiges of winter gloom, I have to admit, its getting better, its getting better all the time...

And I've been making (if not photographing) a ton of food! Have you guys all seen the PPK's food blog, run by Isa Chandra Moskowitz? Its amazing, because its authored by our favorite trusted cookbook author, but features some simpler or quicker things to try out for dinner (and other meals). I've recently made the chipotle sweet potato chili and the red curry soup with rice, and both were simple and sublime. Great resource for those of you who don't own a PPK cookbook yet... hahaha, like there's anyone out there like that.

In addition, I recently made my own chipotle plantain enchiladas, because my friends needed some cheering up after the whole depressing "Knut incident", as well as some weekend pancakes, since I needed some cheering up after the whole depressing "winter incident". These are B's oatmeal pancakes, covered in bananas, soy yogurt, and agave nectar. Needless to say, they were cheering.

And in a few weeks, when my paycheck is here, the weather makes up its mind to stay nice, and I have a fellow American visitor in town(albeit, no vegetarian) I'm expecting that I will be even more cheered! After all, its almost Passover, almost summer, and almost time to pick up again and head to another B-named European city... Budapest!

******
And almost forgot to mention: if you are indeed unhappy about some of the events going on recently there's no reason to just sit around feeling helpless and stuffing your face with enchiladas. There are a ton of vegan bake sales going on all over the world to benefit Japan (this list has some for Japan as well as other causes.) And over at Chocolate Covered Vegan, Katie is holding a virtual bakesale to benefit Japan, which you can read all about here.

And if you are sad about Elizabeth Taylor, do yourself a favor and rent A Place in the Sun or one of her other classics. Curl up, and soak in the divine.

Mid-Day Dinners

2011-03-10T12:35:00.002-05:00

Na? Wie gehts, leute?

I know I've been bitching a lot about my work situation on this blog lately, and although I'm still not totally thrilled about it, its really not as bad as I make it out to be. In fact, there are even some plus sides (aside from the tiny trickle of income I derive only to immediately throw onto the eternal tire fire of my law school debt).

One benefit is that I get to meet interesting people. Last week, at my cleaning lady job, a random, surly teenage girl showed up and started half-heartedly mopping. I couldn't get a straight answer out of her as to why she was usurping my cherished position, but I later found out that she was sent there as punishment! Apparently, she committed some "light fraud" and had the following options in court: spend a month in jail, pay 2,500 euros, or, go work in a kindergarden as a putzfrau for one month.

(Ahem. So this is the German government literally saying that my work is equivalent to a month in PRISON. That is harsh. I'm thinking of telling my boss that the gov obviously thinks my work is worth 2,500 euros so maybe I should get a little raise... like 5 times my current salary.)

Anyways, after I figured out what she was doing we became fast friends based on her love of making fun of my German, and my love is making fun of her for dressing up like a fashion model to come take out trashbags full of diapers. And we both enjoy cooing at the tiny babies and watching them stumble around and do ridiculous things. All in all, the little criminal's presence has enhanced my mornings greatly.

The other nice thing about my schedule is that since I work during dinner hours, I have a huge lunch feast every day with S, often with him cooking while I lounge around and complain about having to go to my other job. Its kind of nice to eat a big meal when its light out! Last week we had the fabulous pineapple cashew quinoa stir fry from V-Con (pictured above). I know I've made it a hundred times, but it really is such a perfect meal! Sweet, spicy, hearty and full of fresh mint, ginger, and basil. It tastes like really healthy take-out from your favorite pan-Asian restaurant.

A second meal was this simple combo: roasted pumpkin rubbed with roasted sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds, rice, and wirsing (a type of green cabage) with a little ketjap manis sauce. Perfect mid-day dinner, and a good way to use up the perpetual head of cabbage always hanging out in our fridge.

Yes, things could definitely be worse.

song of the day: Fettes Brot- Yein

International Women's Day!

2011-03-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

Happy International Women's Day, citizens of the world! Did you know that this holiday was created by a famous German leftist and feminist, Clara Zetkin? And that it used to be international women workers day? And that in the Soviet Bloc it was celebrated like a mixture between Mother's Day and Valentine's Day, with candy and flowers for all the ladies in one's life? Now, I wouldn't promote all traditions of the Soviet Sateelite States (like, say, gulags, just off the top of my head) but I kind of dig this idea! Instead of being owned by Hallmark and having shitty ensemble movies made about it, International Women's Day celebrates all women, not just women who deserve validation because they are attached or have produced offspring.

I rather doubt that I will recieve some commi-red roses or any sweets today, but I decided I would celebrate by mentioning one of my favorite women of all time.

Emma Goldman

"Red Emma" is basically one of the most badass women in history. Born amid progroms in Russia, she emigrated to the US as a teen and was inspired to become involved in radical politics by the Haymarket Affair. She soonafter started a public speaking career that would last the rest of her life. She spoke and wrote about topics as diverse as family planning (she was also a nurse), gay rights, free love, revolution, and mostly, anarchism. She spent countless nights in jail for speaking about things most of us would consider fairly innocuous today. (Oh yeah, but she was sort of involved in an assasination attempt as well.)
She was eventually deported from the US to Russia along with other anarchists for seditious speech, and arrived in her homeland of Russia followning the revolution. Disenchanted by what she saw there, she broke with most of the left in condemning the violence against the population and starvation of large portions of the population while Moscow leaders continued to live in comfort.

In short, the woman never met a popular stance that she didn't disagree with. But she almost prophetically fought for what would become some of the major causes of the twentieth century, long before it was polite (or legal) to do so in public. And if you are looking for a kickass book to read, check out her autobiography, "My Life."

At any rate, I am also an international working woman, so I celebrated this morning with a special treat: a mango-strawberry-banana smoothie and two of Mihl's crispy cherry muffins. They were cinnamon spiked and supremely delicious, great preparation for a day as one of the world's countless working ladies.

Looking for an event to go to or something to do to honor WOMEN? Check out International Women's Day HQ for details.

song of the day: Le Tigre- Feminists We're Calling You!

Cherry Clafoutis...?

2011-03-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

If you had the choice between working at a job that was frequently disgusting but kept you busy, or at one that was mind-numbingly boring but done in relative comfort, what would you choose? I've been pondering this from a purely intellectual standpoint lately because, in fact, I don't have to choose. I have both jobs, one after the other, every day.

Yes, friends, I've picked up another job. Following my humiliating but somewhat entertaining morning cleaning-lady job, I go to a fancy office building and conduct hours of phone calls to mostly disconnected phones in Latin America, in the hopes that one of them will take a survey. Its a dull job, but someone has to do it (or do they...?) At any rate, with these two super jobs combined, I should be able to fund a summer in Budapest (or back surgery, whatever comes first.) But on the other hand, it doesn't leave a lot of time for cooking. Or eating. (Dude, I'm going to be totally rich AND skinny!)

However, I did attempt one kitchen coup, with mixed success. So I finally made this clafoutis recipe from Vegan Visitor that I've been wanting to try for like, 3 years. Actually, literally that long, which I realized trying to dig up the recipe and seeing it was from 2008. But it had ingredients that I could largely reproduce, and feeling sophisticated, I decided to give it a try.

It was.... weird. Sort of a large chewy pancake filled with a sweet tofu mousse that doesn't ever really set (and I cooked this baby for 1 and 1/2 hours.) I mean, it was good, but I just wasn't sure I did it right. The inside is a cottage cheese consistency, owing to the curdled soy milk and silken tofu mixture, but it wasn't reminiscent of any desserts I'm familiar with. My non-vegan friend thought it was like a big milk-rice pancake, and loved it. I also thought it was fairly decent (obviously, because I consumed almost the entire thing in 1 hour), but just not totally sure it was clafoutis. I will have to try the whole experiment again to see if this is the way its meant to be.

At any rate, the whole clafoutis experiment is kind of like my two jobs. Pretty sure its a step in the right direction, but not something I can take out of the oven and call a "career".

Breakfast of Champions... or cleaning ladies

2011-02-21T11:09:00.001-05:00

Now that I actually have a job (my dream job, as a cleaning lady in a kindergarten) my weekends have taken on extra significance. I used to be happy eating a little bread and jam, but not anymore... now I have to clean out my fridge and eat huge, epic, brunch-like feasts on Saturdays and Sundays. It just makes my celebration that I don't have to use a mop that day all the more enjoyable. This weekend, I made tofu scramble for the first time in, it feels like, years. (In fact, I think it has been years...) This is partly due to the fact that I *finally* found some local tofu that doesn't have the consistency of feta cheese, so now I have to eat it everyday in some form. The above pictured foray back into scrambled tofu territory brought me back to my college days,when me and my 3 roommates would often cook together and tofu scrambles were pretty much standard on weekends. (This was before I mastered pancakes.) Just a bit of tofu, some red peppers and onions, and a bit of turmeric and thyme, and you are cooking with gas. (Or electric. Whatever.)

Sunday I took advantage of the bulk of frozen blueberries in my fridge to whip up some banana blueberry pancakes for S. and I... they were gone before we had finished our first cup of coffee.
Not being satisfied with that carb feast, I also whipped up some sesame-poppyseed bagels to enjoy throughout the week (or, lets be honest, through Tuesday) so that my weekday breakfast can have a little flair as well. As you can see, they turned out lovely, even in my cold kitchen. (Ever since I got the tip to keep rising dough in the oven with a bowl of hot water, I haven't had nearly so many disappointing dough experiences. Thanks, SMP!)

Now, feeling fortified from the weekend, its on to the freezing, mop filled days of the working week... let's hope Spring comes soon...

PS: I added a recipe index, as much for my use as for yours, as well as a page with some photos from my travel. I didn't do an "about me," as blogger suggests because, well, don't the posts say it all?

song of the day: Kanye West- All of the Lights

BBQ Sauce

2011-02-18T09:45:00.004-05:00

As a kid, my family went on a "BBQ Tour of the South" to find the greatest version of BBQ sauce on offer. I don't totally remember the verdict, but I do remember getting a wicked sunburn on Tybee Island a week before the 8th Grade Dance (dammit.) However, I came out of this excursion with a great fondness for all varieties of BBQ, and turning vegetarian has not altered it one bit.

However, not all my favorite BBQ sauces are vegan, and I cannot stand to use those Kraft or similar fake-ass BBQ sauces that are all corn syrup and onion powder. So, rather than stock up on sauce the last time I went to the US, I made sure to get some fixings to bring back so I could make it myself: most crucially, molasses and liquid smoke, both difficult to find here in Berlin.

Yesterday, eyeing a block of tofu in the fridge and not wanting to indulge S's newfound obsession with deep-fried tofu, I decided to whip up some BBQ sauce and bake some slabs instead. I was a bit intimidated though... could anything I make approach the level of greatness of North Carolina or Memphis style BBQ sauce? I decided there wasn't much to lose in giving it a whirl. I looked up several recipes and combined them into one that featured the ingredients I had on hand, including a chipotle from an already opened can. (Never waste chipotles, that is my mantra.)

And upon taste, it turns out BBQ sauce is kind of... um.... easy? I mean, this may have not been a blue ribbon winning version, but it was damn tasty for something I made in less than 30 minutes. For a sauce that inspires such cult-like reverence in its followers, shouldn't this be a little more complex?

Well I'm sure I could stand some improvement, but this will more than do for those occasions which necessitate a slathering of BBQ to save the day. Here's my simple recipe. Feel free to alter it.
******************

*Perfectly Decent BBQ Sauce*
vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbs. brown sugar or Agave nectar
1 diced Chipotle + 1 Tbs. adobo sauce
1/3 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 C. Molasses
1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
Salt + pepper
1 tsp. liquid smoke (opt.)

1.) Heat a saucepan over medium and add in a glug of vegetable oil. Add in onions and salt well, then wait until onions are translucent. Add in garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more, being careful not to burn.
2.) Add in remaining ingredients (except for liquid smoke, add it at the end if using) and raise heat to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes (or more), stirring occasionally.
3.) When sauce has reached desired thickness, remove from heat and blend well with an immersion blender. Taste and adjust salt/ sugar if necessary. Put back on low heat, stir in liquid smoke, and cook a few minutes more.

Remaining sauce can be kept in an airtight container in fridge.

*Substitutions* : I imagine you can go wild with substitutions here, subbing pomengranate molasses for molasses, white vinegar for apple cider, chile peppers or cayenne pepper for chipotle and other fruits(like mangoes for instance?) for the tomatoes. I will try it again soon and let you know.
*****************

The finished product slathered on some tofu and broiled for a perfect simple sandwich. (Number 30, anyone?) Just heavenly, and you don't even have to leave the house, let alone head south on 85.

Song of the Day: LCD Soundsystem- I Can Change

A Simple Sexy Valentines Day

2011-02-17T12:03:00.004-05:00

Although you know I LOVE Valentines Day, I almost always end up not celebrating it with the object of my affections. Last year I was away from my man in Brussels, and besides, Europeans don't really do Valentines Day. The year before that I crashed my parents dinner (respect) and the year before that I opted to work at a restaurant rather than force my bf to take me to one. In fact, the last time I may have had a Valentines Day proper was with my long distance college boyfriend, who agreed to watch "The Cutting Edge" over the phone with me while I ate a box of chocolates and my dorm mates made fun of me. While that relationship didn't last, my affection for "The Cutting Edge" as the greatest romantic movie of all time did. (Moira Kelley is the most adorable film bitch of all time, and D.B. Sweeney does hot jock with a heart of gold better than anyone. Plus, there's a lot of snow and ice skating, which is perfect for February.)

This year I also kind of gave up on a commercially endorsed Valentines Day. Trying to get roses and a box of chocolates out of German on Valentines Day is more or less like trying to leash a cat, so I decided to hedge my bets and have a sexy little dinner party a few days before for some friends, and not mention the V-word.

Now, having a "sexy little dinner party" is rather less easy than one might anticipate on a putzfrau's salary, so I decided to really simplify and see what I could get to feed 6 for less than 15€. Turns out, a lot! Here was the menu:
Bruschetta with roasted garlic and balsamic drizzle: I toasted sliced french bread in the oven in shifts, while meanwhile roasting 2 whole bulbs of garlic. (Is there anything more seductive than roasted garlic?) When finished and cool enough to handle, I mashed the roasted garlic bulbs with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until I had a thick paste to spread on the bread. The topping was just a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar. These were so freaking good and all I had to buy was the bread.

Caramelized Fennel, Arugula and Orange Salad: This was also ganz einfach (simple.) While my oven was working on the bruschetta I put my stovetop to work caramelizing a huge sliced fennel bulb in a bit of margarine and oil. After about 20 minutes on low heat, it was sweet with just a hint of anise. I kept it warm until ready to serve, but prepared the rest of the salad: orange wedges, arugula, and a simple balsamic dressing. The fennel ended up being the most expensive part of the dinner.

Finally, I served it all with some V'Con vodka sauce over penne pasta, an instant creamy classic that is easily doubled for a crowd. The photo isn't great, but the end result was everything that a good vodka sauce should be, and went well with the other two featured items.

All this and 2 bottles of wine for under 15€! I was also going to do dessert, but we ended up just drinking wine for dessert. See? Simple, Sexy, and dare I say, very European. :P

Real Valentines Day wasn't so bad either: no wine and roses, but beer and sushi in the bathtub, while watching Arrested Development episodes. Works for me, my friends.

Hope you lot had a nice V-Day, or had fun ignoring it all together!

song of the day: The Cardigans- Lovefool

50 Vegan Sandwiches

2011-02-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

Every so often the Times has a huge food section article with like, 101 ideas for salads or 101 ideas for grilling. My Dad usually saves the print version from his work and brings it home for me, where I proceed to drool over the unlimited possibilities, or at least the vegetarian ones. (Btw, how great is my Dad? He is in Egypt right now covering the protests! Crazy, right?)

The idea is, relatively simple combos that might be a bit unusual or sort of a cheater recipe for something usually prepared in a more complex way. Or maybe even classics that you don't normally think of as being "fast food." Regardless, the list-iness of it jogs your memory and inspires you to come up with interesting meals instead of opting for that restaurant, frozen item, or over-used standby.

In my opinion, us vegans need something like this. A long list of ideas for simple snacks or whatever, not so much recipes as combinations that you can use as a guideline for improvisation.

So! I will start off with a list for sandwiches! This is not meant to be exhaustive and leans toward my own personal tastes, so if you have any good and simple ideas, leave it in the comments! And if you want to make a list like this for desserts, breakfast, snacks, ect, go ahead and leave a comment and we can link it up. It'll be an instant score for anyone wondering what to eat for a quickie vegan meal. So without further ado...!

50 Vegan Sandwiches!!!

*Classics*

1. The Hummus Supreme: Hummus + cucumbers + tomatoes + thin sliced red onion + drizzle of pomengranate molasses on multigrain bread

2. The Roasted Wrap: Balsamic Roasted eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms + tomatoes + basil and arugula rolled into a lavash or tortilla

3. The Portobello: Grilled, marinated portobello mushrooms + roasted red peppers + hummus + basil on french bread

4. The Rueben: Tempeh bacon + Vegan Russian dressing + Sauerkraut on toasted sourdough

5. The Poor and Toasty: Herbed Earth balance slathered on a roll and toasted face-down in a nonstick pan until crusty, stuffed with tomatoes and or onions (depending on level of poverty).

6. Italiano: Pesto mixed into a little vegan mayo + tomatoes + olives + roasted eggplant on focacia or ciabatta

7. The Pizza Bagel: Tomato Sauce + Sliced Mushrooms + plenty of nooch (or soy moz) on two bagel halves, broiled.

*Breakfast Sammies*

8. The Waffle-wich: Peanut Butter + Sliced Bananas+ Drizzle of Maple Syrup, between two toasted frozen waffles

9. The Wafflewich, revisted: Same as above except with vegan sausage patties (like Gimme Lean) instead of bananas and pb. (Oh, like you haven't done it.)

10. The Scramble: Tofu scramble wrapped up, burrito style, in a tortilla

11. The Mexican Scramble: Tofu scramble + guac + salsa in a tortilla

12. The Radial Bagel: Soy Cream Cheese + Sliced Avocado + Sliced Tomato + thin sliced red onion + sprouts open faced on a grilled bagel

13. The Einstein: Chopped veggies and herbs folded into soy cream cheese + everything bagel

14. The McTuffin: Broiled/ Baked Tofu + Nooch Cheesy sauce or soy cheese slices+ circular breakfast sausage on an English muffin. (They serve these at Sticky Fingers Bakery in DC, btw.)

*Fruity Favorites*

15. Elvis: Peanut butter+ banana grilled in earth balance (add in a slice of soy bacon if you're feeling really cheeky.)

16. PB + F: Peanut/ Almond/ Cashew butter+ fresh sliced peaches, apples, strawberries, ect.

17. The Weekender: Sliced green apples + whole grain mustard + vidalia onions on pumpernickel

18. Sophisticated: Faux Cream cheese + Fig preserves + sliced toasted almonds, open-faced on good mulitgrain bread

19. Bollywood: Mango chutney+ faux cheddar, grilled cheese style

20. La Casita: Pan-fried, sliced plantains + chili powder + peanut butter in a tortilla

21. The Brussels : Sliced Apples+ Shredded Carrots+ Soy Cream Cheese + Agave Nectar in French Bread

22. The Peaches and Cream: Sliced peaches + creamed cashews + drizzle of agave stuffed inside a panini and grilled

23. The Lover: Toasted french bread+ vegan chocolate hazelnut spread + sliced strawberries + dusting of cinnamon or powdered sugar (serve w/ soymilk, plz)

24. The Banana Cream Pie: Sliced Bananas+ Soy cream cheese + brown sugar broiled open-faced on thick cut multigrain bread or a bagel.

*Protein Central*
25. BLT w/ a twist: Crispy tempeh bacon + Avocado slices+ lettuce+ tomato slices on toast

26. Meatball Sub: Leftover meatballs + leftover spaghetti sauce + soy cheese on a sub roll

27. Turkey club: Tempeh bacon + deli slices+ lettuce, tomato and mustard

28. The Momma's boy: Veganaise+ Lettuce+ Tomato + Soy Cheese + Deli Slices

29. The Way-better McRib: Broiled Morningstar Riblets + Slaw on focaccia

30. BBQ Baby: BBQ Tofu+ Grilled/ Caramelized Onions+ Toasted Roll

31. The Sailor Girl: (Leftover) breaded, fried tofu + veganaise mixed with a little relish or capers + generous squeeze lemon on a roll

32. The Babysitter: Cooked Soy hot dog, cut in 1/2 + Ketchup and Relish on whatever bread available (just make it fast, before the parents get home)

*Salad Sandwiches*

33. The Greek: Lettuce+ Cucumbers+ Slivered almonds+ grapes+ olives+ crumbled tofu+ Greek dressing stuffed into a warm pita

34. Tofu Salad: Not-egg salad on white toast (not for me, thankyouverymuch)

35. The Jimmy: Tons of raw spinach + thin sliced red onions + red pepper hummus on a toasted bagel

36. The Leftover heaven: Whatever awesome salad you had yesterday inside a hollowed out french bread loaf

37. The Chik'n Salad: Mashed cooked chickpeas + diced onion and carrots + relish + vegan mayo + salt, pepper and praprika on toast

38. The Tahini Dream: Roasted Eggplant + Spinach + tomato chunks in tahini miso dressing (equal parts tahini and miso plus a little warm water and agave nectar) rolled in a lavash

*Even More Sandwiches

39. The Portobello burger: Grilled or broiled portobello mushroom cap + pesto + tomato slices on a burger roll

40. The Patty Melt: Grilled Black Bean Burger + Grilled onions + soy american style cheese, grilled in between two buttered sour dough slices. A southern classic.

41. The Orange Monster: Roasted sweet potato mashed and spread over a whole grain tortilla + mushrooms + onions + corn + spinach + hot sauce

42. Mexi-Wrap: Mashed black beans + salsa + guac + jalapenos rolled in a whole grain tortilla

43. The kid brother: PB+J + potato chips

44. The Doug: Sliced, roasted beets + avocado slices + sweet mustard + sliced onion on whole grain bread

45. The George Bush Sr.: Broccoli or Broccoli Rabe + Nooch + Red Pepper Flakes, broiled on sturdy whole grain bread until broccoli is starting to char in places

46. The Tea Luncheon: Thin sliced radishes + cucumbers+ salt and pepper + soy cream cheese on white toast with the crust cut off.

47. The Open Sesame: Baba Ganoush + roasted red peppers + roasted zucchini + squeeze of lemon on pita

48. The Subway: Cukes+ tomatoes + sliced onions+ lettuce + Italian dressing on a hoagie roll

49. Harriet the Spy: Veganaise + Tomatoes + plenty of salt and pepper on wonderbread

50. The Pita: Falafel+ red cabbage slaw + hummus/ soy-yogurt sauce/ hot sauce in a warm pita

...so, that's about what I could come up with. Please add your faves in the comments!

(Top right image via Treehugger)

Good News/ Bad News

2011-01-31T09:29:00.004-05:00

Why is it, lately, that every bit of good stuff has to come with equally proportionate bad stuff? (I know, that was really eloquent, let's just go with it.) For example, this weekend I went to Copenhagen to visit my friend Ted. (Good!) But now I'm sick. (Bad.) I found a free English language novel on the side of the road the other night, and it was getting pretty interesting! (Good!) But I left it on the airplane. (Bad.) I found a nearby store that sells Masa Harina so I can make tamales! (Good!) But its imported and costs 8 f*cking euros a bag. (Doh!)

And perhaps the most important piece of news straddling the good/ line is my new job. On the one hand, its a job! That's super good, because I'm beyond broke and I really want to go intern in Budapest this summer, so I need to find some income, and fast. Onnnnn the downside... its a job as a "putzfrau" for a pre-school. So I'm basically walking around with a mop, broom and vacuum cleaner and trying to clean surfaces faster than babies can expel bodily fluids onto them. It is, so far, a losing battle. So yeah, that's bad.

But at least, when I come home sore and smelling of baby powder (or worse) there's still the old, and almost free standby of Hutspot- mashed potatoes with add-ins (in this case sauerkraut and apples.) It's always so comforting, and makes me feel a little better about my terrible low-wage torture job (even if it does remind me of baby food, a little.)

So what if things aren't perfect? Good/ bad is way better than bad/ bad, and maybe I'm even on the way to good/good...

Is it really so strange?

2011-01-17T03:42:00.005-05:00

So wouldn't you know that just when I get this awesome trio of faux-micro lenses for my camera AND cook up Viva Vegan's feijoada twice in one week, I realize I left my damn camera charger in the USA. And I know that you vegan blog folks are just like frat boys (in one respect): "Pics or it didn't happen."

So I will have to take a little break until my camera charger comes back, but in the meantime please entertain yourself with some tidbits from around the internets:

*First off: dude, Terry Hope Romero has just posted on her blog that she is starting on a new vegan World Foods cookbook. If that wasn't exciting enough, she and Isa are apparently completing their trilogy of dessert cookbooks with one on...wait for it.... PIE. Dude. Best trilogy since Lord of the Rings. I am so freaking stoked.

*Mark Bittman generally has great shit on his Times column, The Minimalist, and this last week he put up a little how-to on making pancakes from a variety of cooked grains and spices. The recipe has an egg, but as you all know by now, you can also up the baking powder slightly to alter these recipes to vegan perfection. (Cardamom scented oatmeal pancakes with apricots, yum!)

*My boyfriend and I are planning to quit smoking officially on Valentines day this year and are spending the next month amping up on inspiration and ideas on how to do so effectively. This article, describing how even one cigarette can instantly damage your DNA, is just the kind of knowledge I need.

*I really love Design Sponge in general, as it is the only real heir to the dead mag Domino, but I especially adore their before and after category, where they turn fugly furniture and rooms into specimens of beauty. Maybe you have a dresser or broom closet that can benefit from a creative makeover?

*And finally, the Post Punk Kitchen is having a little cookbook challenge in the next 12 weeks. You probably have most of these cookbooks, and if not the internet has a surprising number of recipes from all of them, why not play along?

See you when the mail comes...

Quinoa Corn Chowder

2011-01-11T04:55:00.005-05:00

Perhaps a future chapter in my autobiography will read as follows:

"I shall always remember the first occasion on which I realized that soups could change my life. It was the winter of 2011, and I faced a dangerous trifecta of unemployment, ever-growing debt, and a kitchen practically devoid of fresh food. As I often did during those dark times, I sat on the kitchen cabinet drinking coffee, absent-mindedly flipping through cookbooks, and waiting for the phone to ring offering me a job. As the radio blasted monotonous German electro-pop, I came across a recipe in Terry Hope Romero's now classic, Viva Vegan, Quinoa Corn Chowder with Limas and Aji. I sighed... oh, those fat summer days, when both sweet summer corn and money were plentiful! I pined for the past, before law school, when the world seemed full of meals and possibilities.

Suddenly, I realized: I had some frozen sweet corn in the freezer! Racing to my pantry I discovered I also had quinoa, some red beans, and a passable number of the spices! With a gleam in my eye, I gathered my last few cents and raced to Kaisers, hoping to find a decent avocado to round out my meal. Miraculously, on the top of the pile sat the last passably ripe avocado, beckoning to me.

A few hours later, I sat with S., staring at my creation: bursting with corn, plumped quinoa, red beans, a warming spicy broth, and ripe chunks of avocado, it looked amazing. And friends, it was. I sent up a quick prayer of thanks to God for blessing the planet with that celebrated genius Romero, and dug in. Maybe things were just about to turn around, I thought to myself. If I can eat like this when the money has dried up, just imagine what I can do when that phone finally rings..."

And then hopefully the next chapter will be about when Angela Merkel calls to personally offer me a job heading up the brand new German open-borders refugee agency... or at least that Irish pub finally hits me back for a waitressing gig.

Song of the Day: Die Sterne- Universal Tellerwascher

The year that was...

2011-01-04T12:36:00.007-05:00

January:
The Black Sea, Bagels, and Beans

February:

Poverty-inspired flour mania- Pancakes, Spaetzle and Gnocchi from scratch

March:

My little brother comes to visit and I embarrass him in front of all the great sites in Europe. For revenge, he steals my favorite coat and still hasn't given it back.

April:

Passover tapas for all my friends in Brussels, despite a tragic lack of Manischevitz wine.

May:

Springtime in Berlin gets off to an auspicious start when I invent the life-changing Chipotle Plantain Enchiladas.

June:

Love is in the air in Berlin, and to celebrate I eat lots of red things, like cherries and rhubarbs. Meanwhile, we pack up and move into a new apartment.

July:

Summer brings lots of weddings in the US, and (perhaps in response?) I develop a strange affinity for miniature pies. And a strange dis-finity for wedding registries. Take that, married people!

August: Apparently, nothing happens in August. I just sit on the roof of the new place and eat more pie. (Not too shabby, me!)

September:

Oh wait, now I remember what I was doing in August, writing my dissertation! In September that baby is all turned in, so I celebrate by making lots of pierogies, hosting a Rosh Hoshana dinner, and finding a thousand and one things to do with CSA plums.

October:

In October, having failed to immediately obtain a job upon graduation, I go into a housewife-like baking frenzy and serve S. gourmet meals, like crepes, every night in desperate response to my certain future as failed lawyer.

November:

I attempt my first Vegan Mofo, cooking up lots of delicious things to impress you at first, only to drop out towards the end because of a flu caught in England. Bloody Brits.

And finally, December, as seen immediately below, was a whirl of holiday traveling and a good time had by all. (Well, except for the actual traveling part.)

All in all, this year was one of the brokest and most nerve-wracking years of my life, but I also made a lot of new friends, fell more in love with my boyfriend, and got to know yet another city and another language. I can also honestly say that I feel more confident in my cooking skills than ever before, partially because of said stress and brokeness. Turns out, deprivation inspires creativity! But you vegans already knew that. Stay tuned for food-related new years resolutions (yes, I have so many resolutions that I have to make categories.)

Happy New Years, internet!

Christmas in the USA

2010-12-27T15:26:00.005-05:00

The Russian Tea Room in NYC

Aaaaah, the holidays. Those precious occasions when you stare at departures screens for hours hoping your flight/ train/ camel isn't cancelled like all the rest, arrive home exhausted to see everyone you've ever known in a never-ending parade, and stuff yourself fuller and fuller of rich food. It's pretty exhausting, right?

However, also fun. I'm back in full-on USA mood, with all the attendant benefits of warm houses, a full pantry, and the Food Network. After a brief stop in New Jersey to see some relatives, my Mom and I headed up for a night in New York City; including a cocktail at my favorite over-priced NY institution, the Russian Tea Room (above.)

Back home for Christmas, we had a fabulous brunch with my Grandparents, with eggs benedict for the omnis and blueberry waffles, homefries, and veggie sausage for the vegetarians.

Needless to say, we were full until dinner. Actually beyond dinner! We had grand plans for a big feast with many components, but we basically down-scaled: tamales and a big salad. My Dad and I made and froze the tamales a week ago to avoid Christmas chaos, and the salad was an improvised delight.

Spinach with red bartlett pears, onions, pomegranate seeds and a dressing made from the following: 1 Clementine, 1 tsp. diced garlic, a splash of orange juice and couple tablespoons red wine vinegar, whirled in a food processor with enough olive oil to make it perfectly dressing-y.

The tamales were filled with a black bean and chipotle mixture and served with homemade tomatillo salsa, guac, roasted chipotle salsa, and soy sour cream.

Christmassy? I'm not sure. Delicious? Definitely. In fact, I had the same thing the next day. And now... back to my food coma. Hope everyone had and is having a great holiday, and that you were able to finish your dinner!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2010-12-13T06:23:00.004-05:00

Hello my nice relaxed and calm blog friends. What, you're not all sitting in your warm houses baking cookies, content with the fact that you have purchased all presents and just waiting for the next lovely holiday party? Well, that's how I imagine you, in stark contrast to yours truly, who is rushing around in a steadily-building panic trying to accomplish every last thing before leaving for the US tomorrow. I'm facing such queries as, should I send all Xmas cards before leaving, so that people get the thrill of a genuine "Luftpost" from Germany, or should I save money but add to my packing by doing it in the US? And how many more presents can I buy today that say "Berlin" on them, to prove that I've thoughtfully been thinking of my American friends all year and not just buying them shit from Target?

I'm not asking for advice here, because basically all of these are unanswerable questions, the real solution to which is: go back in time and do it last week, saukerl!

But last week I was calm and relaxed, having dinner parties and making bagels and cinnamon rolls. Speaking of which, I can officially confirm that the perfect menu for non-vegan parent types is:
-Moroccan carrot dip from V'Con and bread
-A big garden salad with pears and homemade balsamic dressing
-Wild Mushroom Risotto

Cheap, filling, and not full of mysterious (to parents) ingredients like "chipotles" or "tofu".

And previously I finally got around to making Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, but this time I wasn't leaving it up to online recipes and just went ahead and gave it the old college try on my own. The result? Not too sweet, puffy and cinnamon-y rolls that were great out of the oven with a glass of soymilk, and even better in the next days reheated in the microwave. So here's my recipe, but as a warning I've only made these once so results may vary. (And here's more of a Joy of Cooking-style recipe format, to test it out.)

Hopefully, you are in a less hectic place than I am and have time for such pursuits!

***************
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

-1 packet yeast
-1 Tbs. sugar
-1/4 c. warm water

1.) In a large bowl, combine yeast and sugar then stir in warm water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes to "proof" the yeast.

-1 C. pureed pumpkin
-1/4 tsp. cinnamon
-1/4 tsp. nutmeg
-2 Tbs. maple syrup
-2 Tbs. veg oil
-1/4 C. soymilk
-pinch salt

2.) In a second bowl, combine above ingredients with a fork.

-3.5-4 C. all purpose flour

3.) Add pumpkin mixture to yeast mixture and sift in about 3 and 1/2 cups flour. Knead for 10 minutes, adding in more flour until you have a relatively smooth, not-too-sticky ball. Put ball in bowl that has a drizzle of oil, and flip to coat.
4.) Special tip from my friend Sara for better rising: Put rising bowl inside of another larger bowl containing rather hot water. Let rise for about an hour.

-3/4 C. brown sugar
-1/2 C. chopped almonds, pecans, etc.
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

5.) When dough has risen, punch down and let sit for another 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, mix above ingredients for the filling.
6.) On a lightly floured surface, place you dough ball and sprinkle with flour. Roll dough out to a large square of about 1/2" thickness. Sprinkle with your filling mixture, then carefully roll from the bottom, until you have a large "tube". You don't have to be much a perfectionist about this, in my opinion, you can manipulate the ends if they aren't perfect.

7.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees (175 C) and lightly oil or spray a brownie pan. With a sharp knife, cut tube into roughly 2" pieces and place them into pan, smooshing them against eachother if necessary. If outside dough is too floury, brush with a little bit of soymilk.

-1 C. powdered sugar
-2 Tbs. soymilk

8.) Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and meanwhile whisk together above ingredients to make a nice glaze. Drizzle glaze over finished rolls and consume with soymilk and a holiday movie.

**********

So the next time you hear from me I will be in the USA, hopefully eating large amounts of Thai and Mexican food! Good luck to anyone else embarking on holiday travel, and tchüss for now, Berlin!

Song of the Day: Cracker- Duty Free

Shivering in the Kitchen

2010-12-08T05:24:00.005-05:00

Ah, my first real winter in Berlin. So far I've been torn between thinking, "Bah, I hate this weather, these gray skies, the fact that I can't understand Celsius enough to figure out what to wear, I hate ~~this continent!~~ winter!" and thinking, "SNOW! Pretty." But I suppose so long as I can reconcile myself to a lot of time spent indoors wearing German military grade long-underwear, I will eventually make it through to the other side. (I guess you can only imagine how I look sitting around all day in men's long underwear, swearing at the cold and applying to an ever broadening selection of jobs. Its pretty damn attractive, let me tell you.)

In the meantime, I'm trying to bring in sunshine via baking! What you see above is yet another batch of bagels (although that one has no hole, interesting) topped with peanut butter, bananas, and a drizzle of maple syrup, the very best thing about winter. I also attempted to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls the other day, as promised, but oddly the dough never rose! I tested the yeast so it should have, and I'll have to chalk this one up to the mysterious different flours in this country and their vastly different rising properties. Oh well.

Another delicious recent meal was the potato-mushroom enchiladas (rather than kale) from Veganomicon complimented, just for fun, with Venezuelan black beans and Orange rice from Viva Vegan. This wasn't exactly the kind of meal that you whip together in a few minutes, but I had some hungry friends coming over and suspected that Enchiladas alone would not do. (I usually make two batches and its still not enough for a small group.) I may have used every pot and pan in the kitchen, but everything turned out delicious- spicy, savory and sweet. And let's face it, as an unemployed and freezing cold American I have lots of time to spend in a nice toasty kitchen.
Song of the Day: The National- Conversation 16

From the Archives:
More Bagels!
More Enchiladas!
More Viva Vegan!

Vegan No-Fo

2010-12-02T06:10:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess its time to admit that the end of Vegan Mofo was a big fail for me. This can be attributed to two factors:

A.) I was in England for 5 days, graduating from my Masters program. And although I thought this might make for exciting blogging material, I couldn't find anything to eat in that country! All I had ate the entire time were atrociously expensive french fries and beer. Even the one fancy vegan restaurant I singled out (Mildred's, in Pickadilly Circus) was freakishly closed the one night I made it there. But all was not totally lost, because I did indeed graduate, from Canterbury Cathedral which was lovely.

B.) Upon return home I promptly developed a horrible flu that kept me in bed for a week. During this time I missed Thanksgiving (AGAIN) and the last week of Vegan Mofo, in which I consumed nothing but oatmeal. But again, there's a silver lining, because I lost 10 lbs, just in time for the holidays, and kept all of the luscious food that was intended for Thanksgiving to dole out over the next few months.

Including the canned pumpkin that I have already put towards some delicious pumpkin pancakes from Vegan Brunch, topped with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Next stop, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, yuuuum.

In spite of the disappointing last couple weeks, I find it difficult not to be excited now: its Channukah, I have a lot of fun Christmas markets and parties to go to in the next few weeks, and soon I'll be in my parent's kitchen in the USA, cooking up a storm of my vegan favorites. And to make up for all the missed posting, I'll try to be vigilant about posting my holiday creations this year. Latkes, tamales, and tofu benedict, oh my!

So now back to my regularly scheduled blogging, and I look forward to drooling over what all you lucky Americans had for Thanksgiving dinner!

Song of the Day: AC/DC -Back in black

Soo-Youn's Kimbab (Korean vegetable hand-rolls)

2010-11-17T07:10:00.003-05:00

My friend Soo-Youn makes these amazing Korean vegetable rolls (Kimbab) for me sometimes when we are studying. ("Studying" meaning drinking coffee, gossiping, and occasionally cracking the binding of a book.) They were her favorite food when she was a child, and I can see why: soft, sesame-flavored rice wrapped around crunchy cooked vegetables with a spicy, salty sauce, all in a seaweed wrapper perfectly designed for chubby little hands to grip. They're great for children, but cut into slices they also make an acceptably sophisticated appetizer or entree for discerning adults. Here's how its done, minus precise measurements because Soo-Youn don't play that. ("Just taste it! Can't you tell if its right?") Well, don't take my word for it, try them once and crave them forever after. And never, EVER call them sushi.

(Note: Seaweed wrappers, sticky rice and good quality sesame oil are essential for this recipe and can all be found at your local asian market (and maybe even at healthfood stores). Try looking for korean chili paste or "goju jang" to add to miso for a dipping sauce, and you're really in Korean delicacy heaven.)

Step 1 is to make the rice. The best way is to make it in a rice cooker, using short grain rice that is made for making sticky rice. Immediately after taking it out of the rice cooker, add it into a bowl and while its still steaming, add in some toasted sesame seeds, crushing them slightly with your hands. Also add in a hearty drizzle of sesame oil, a few pinches salt, and a little bit of vinegar (say, 1 tsp. per cup, or less.) Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon and set aside. (The taste changes as the sesame seeds infuse the rice.) You can always adjust it to taste later, it should be a bit smoky from the sesame, salty, and tangy from the vinegar. If you like it, its correct.

Step 2 is to cook the vegetables. Use a hot pan, a bit of oil, and cook one at a time any of the following julienned vegetables until crunchy but cooked: carrots, leeks, onions, mushrooms, eggplant, peppers, zucchini, radishes, etc. My friend uses eggs in hers as well, but you could also use thinly sliced and fried tofu. Pickles of some sort of also an option. Salt and pepper the veggies well when they are cooked. (The rationale for cooking seperately is that each vegetable takes a different amount of time to be perfectly "done".)

Step 3: Set up your work station with seaweed papers (plain, not toasted), the rice and a wooden paddle, and the vegetables. For each wrapper, pat a thick layer of rice down about filling about halfway up the sheet of seaweed. Then, place your selection of cooked veggies in the middle of that layer of rice. Carefully roll upwards, using your hands to even out the roll so it doesn't bulge too much on one side. (But messy is also ok.) If cutting, cut off to thin slices on the side (and pop into your mouth) then slice the remaining roll with a sharp knife into uniform slices. Like so:

Step 4: Serve with any sauce you like, (sriracha, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, etc) or the Soo-Youn special: a knob of asian chili paste (goju jang), and a few gulps of soy sauce and sesame seed oil. Mix well and toss in a few more sesame seeds or some thinly sliced leeks or scallions... so incredibly delicious.

A different variation on this recipe can be found here.

Song of the Day: The Smiths- Hairdresser on Fire

Brussels Sprouts Hash

2010-11-16T17:25:00.003-05:00

I know that people are entitled to different opinions on brussels sprouts, but I love them so much I have confused them in my mind with junk food, and gobble them up like I'm going to get caught. If you haven't had them since you were a kid, now's a good time to give them a chance.

Today I made a simple "hash"- I fried some potato cubes in oil until browned, then tossed in messily sliced brussels sprouts, diced apple cubes, some chopped almonds, and salt and pepper. When everything was cooked and kind of burnt, I squeezed half a lemon on top. It was so heavenly- nutty and fresh and slightly sweet. I recommend you try it at home with whatever random ingredients you have at home. I myself might eat the same tomorrow.

It was definitely a nice lunch to prepare for an evening consisted of the sisyphean task of standing around holding up a large heavy board, and occasionally turning in time with some 30 other folks, all while remaining perfectly silent and still for 2 hours. (Part of an art project I mentioned yesterday, that I am getting paid for.) But tonight was the actual "performance" and actually, people really seemed to dig it! You see, we made like a maze with these boards, that changed in tune with the music to lock some people in and some people out. Since I was directed to stare only at the board, I didn't see people's reactions, but they seemed enthusiastic afterwards. And who can complain at getting paid to participate in real live art? I think I'm going to add to my cv... T: lawyer, performance artist, admirer of brussels sprouts.

Song of the day: The Clash- London Calling

Muffins and Performance Art

2010-11-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

Although Berlin and DC are not entirely dissimilar, there are some major differences that can't be explained just by language or culture. For example, why do Germans like the band eels so much? Why do they largely prefer to roll their own cigarettes? Why is there such a bottomless pit of fondness for performance art? And why, oh why, do they have thousands of baked products of every type and assortment, but barely pay any attention to such classics as muffins, bagels, and cupcakes?

I've been trying to correct this by keeping lots of muffins and bagels around to tempt my friends and roommates. (Cupcakes, unfortunately, are out of reach at the moment as I have no hand-mixer for frosting.) The other day I made non-plum muffins for once, instead using apples and lots of cinnamon and topping them off with peanut butter caramel, in an act of mindless rebellion to use up the last drops of my precious Canadian maple syrup. However, I wasn't really able to spread the gospel of muffins since I ate almost all of them. But whatever.

As for the performance art affinity, I have gotten the opportunity to get an inside perspective, since I am actually participating in some today and tomorrow! Yes friends, I will stand in a dark auditorium, while ambient electronic music blasts from the speakers, and my colleagues and I will hold up large drywall pieces that we slowly spin around every 5 minutes. It is very meaningful, not mention tiring.

And although I have no idea what the hell the point is of this exercise, I am doing it anyways. First of all, because it is ART! And second, because I am getting paid 50€. I expect that this will make a large impact on the scene here, and I will hopefully become a very famous performance artist. And then I will be able to afford gallons of maple syrup and make as many muffins as I like! I'll let you know how it goes...

Song of the Day: Art Brut- Formed a Band

Cabbage Rolls and Potato Latkes

2010-11-14T08:01:00.004-05:00

When you are low on cash, condiments are your friends. The simplest (and cheapest) things become special when there is some sauce or dip to accompany them. And if you're anything like me, than even when your fridge is completely devoid of veggies or fruits, you still have a boatload of random barbeque sauces, mustards, and curries.

So, being short on funds this week, we've been trying to eat as cheaply as possible and rely more on condiments to spice things up. Thursday night I made cabbage rolls: the leftover (non-moldy) inner pieces of a cabbage that had seen better days became a wrapper for mushrooms, onions, and almonds simply spiced. On the side was the real action: tahini-miso dressing, spicy soy+ chili sauce, and a simple mix of sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and garlic. It was cheap and reminded me of the fancy days when I used to do things like "go to restaurants" and "order appetizers."

Friday evening was equally inexpensive and fabulous with S. whipping up a batch of latkes that we gobbled up with some apple sauce and washed down with a lot of beer. Potatoes+ onions+ a little bit of cornstarch and flour, and you are there. I've seen a lot of fancier recipes for vegan latkes, but if you are patient I think the flour and cornstarch method (outlined in more detail here) works wonders and takes less time. And who couldn't use some greasy, filling latkes once in a while?

song of the day: ELO- Mr Blue Sky

Thanksgiving!

2010-11-10T15:19:00.005-05:00

It's almost Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays! Last year at this time I was in Belgium, choking back tears at a 12€ buffet at some stupid posh nightclub where I couldn't eat anything except a martini. Not this year, my friends! Although Germany doesn't "do" thanksgiving, I am going to have a real American one in my little apartment and try to convince people that green bean casserole is really delicious. (Failing that, I will just eat it all myself.) Luckily, my Mom is meeting me in London in a week so I can get her to bring a few essentials that are hard to find here in 'Schland.

As I usually do, I thought I'd do a round-up of ideas for all you celebrating Thanksgiving with your families who still don't know what vegan is. (Or pretend not to know and try to serve you gravy anyways.)

Speaking of Gravy, Tofu Mom over at More Than Tofu and Sprouts is doing a whole month of gravy for VeganMoFo, with lots of varieties (like mushroom and miso gravy) that would be perfect for the occasion.

As for a centerpiece, if you are going to an omni Thanksgiving do as the vegans do and bring a few sides and your own gravy, and maybe put in a request that the mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes be vegan. But if you are hosting your own, or want to have turkey-less centerpiece to impress, there are a few options. How about Hickory Smoked Apple Cider, Maple Syrup and Bourbon Glazed Tofu Lollipops from What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyways? Or you could try the gorgeous Seitan en croute from 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

As for desserts, this Chocolate Pumpkin bread pudding from the NY Times looks pretty kick ass, and cranberry chocolate tartelettes from Mihl is a classy choice.

Looking for a full-on Menu? Over at the PPK Isa posted Thanksgiving in an hour a few days ago, but if you have more than an hour, peruse the rest of the recipes including 3 ingredient cranberry sauce and chickpea cutlets. Yum! VeganYumYum also had a full menu a few years back with a creative stuffed seitan and a yummy green bean casserole. For the more adventurous, non-vegan websites also have excellent ideas, many of which are veganizable with a few tweaks. (Earth balance for butter, no brainer.) Epicurious has a huge selection of recipes and videos at their Thanksgiving headquarters. And over at 101 Cookbooks there are also a handful of luscious ideas, including shredded brussels sprouts and apples, one of my faves.

What will I be serving? Well, I'm going traditional all the way so as not to confuse the Germans. (Well, traditional in my household. I guess we will also have to argue about politics the whole time if I really want tradition.)

My (tentative, very tentative) menu
-A simple salad of roasted Beets, walnuts, and mixed greens
-Green Bean Casserole (with imported vegan cream of mushroom soup!)
-My Aunt Mary's simple and fabulous sweet potatoes w/ apples, pecans and brown sugar
-Fluffy roasted garlic mashed potatoes
-Mushroom and shallot gravy (from Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan)
-Roasted brussels sprouts
-Chestnut stuffing
-Cranberry-orange sauce
-And EITHER chickpea cutlets or homemade seitan, depending on whether I can get my Mom to bring some vital wheat gluten.
-For dessert? Natch, pumpkin pie, provided by my friend Kat who doesn't mind making them from scratch (unlike myself, who finds pies nerve-wracking enough w/o the pumpkin roasting element.) Maybe a chocolate pudding pie as well, if I can find the right kind of soft tofu.

Now, this will be a challenge with my tiny kitchen and limited heating space. But I can't take another year in Europe without a proper Thanksgiving and I can't afford a plane ticket, so its worth a shot!

What are you guys cooking up for the biggest food holiday of the year?

It ain't easy, but it ain't so hard

2010-11-09T14:27:00.003-05:00

Another good dinner, plantains, Venezuelan beans from Viva Vegan, soy yogurt and some rice.

Today is a day for dancing and getting things done! Eating is (literally) on the backburner...

Gumbo Z from Vegan Soul Kitchen

2010-11-08T15:32:00.003-05:00

I did something kind of exciting today! (Read: not real world exciting, like base jumping, but kitchen exciting, like canning or reconstituting dried mushrooms.) Ahem. I made my own stock! And a roux! I've neither done either before, but hey, its Vegan MOFO, the perfect time for trying new (nerdy) things!

Both of these endeavors were for the purpose of making "Gumbo Z" from Vegan Soul Kitchen, by Bryant Terry. (Yeah, like I wouldn't own THAT cookbook. Come on.) Aside from the brilliant title I really love this cookbook, not just as a cookbook but also as a sort of inspirational scrapbook with cool ideas, photos, songs, and stories. And the recipes are just my style: they always have something that *snaps*, like caramelized grapefruit or hot apple cider vinegar. I sometimes read it just for fun. (And as a side note, I once SAW Bryant Terry. I was having a glass of wine at the end of a long day of Bar Exam prep at Busboys and Poets, a bar/ cafe/radical bookstore in DC and he had just finished giving a book signing, which I didn't realize until I saw him walk right by. But I was too shy to approach him as my mind was too Bar Exam-addled to say anything other than "Uhmmm, so....I like your cookbook" so I just sat there staring at him like a weirdo with my glass of pinot. So that is my Bryant Terry story.)

Anyways. When I first got the book I thought, wow, does this guy know how to complicate simple things. Like, who makes homemade broth and then spends another 2 hours making Gumbo? But you know, it was worth it! Homemade broth smells amazing and doesn't taste as salty/ carroty as store-bought, and the process of making roux is a bit of transfixing kitchen magic that every foodie should try for themselves. Every element of the recipe smelled and tasted so good, that it was actually really fun to cook although it took a while.

I fed my version (with spinach and cabbage rather than the prescribed Southern greens that I can't find in 'Schland) to my hungry and picky boyfriend and he loved it, I loved it, it was just a big Gumbo lovefest. Its not so pretty to look at, but if you've been hesitating before cooking a long or seemingly complicated recipe like this, I would reccommend that you try it! You might learn something new and surprise yourself.

Song of the Day: Janelle Monae- Tightrope

Coconut Kale with a side of douchery

2010-11-05T13:22:00.005-04:00

So sometimes I get a little annoyed with the NY Times and their food section's pissy coverage of vegetarian food. It will always be like, "here's a decent vegetarian side dish that goes great alongside ribs for us normal people!" Or like, touting bacon ice cream as the greatest thing ever and mocking those who think its kind of offensive. Today was no exception, in the short article "The Greens Party" in which the author discusses a bunch of "dudes" at an Indian restaurant who just ordered meat, to the chagrin of the chef who suggested they also eat some token veggies, to be healthy (or whatever.) After discussing the shared recipe for coconut grilled kale the author says,

Made over a charcoal fire or even in a wickedly hot pan, it becomes a dish of uncommon flavor, the sort of thing you could eat on its own, with only a mound of basmati rice for contrast.

But you know, why would you? Here in America, after all, we will always be from Montana somehow.

Lame. I'm so sure there are no vegetarians in Montana and they all subsist solely on cattle based products. I'm also sure that real men don't eat vegetables unless they are grilled. (RAWR!) Anyways, despite the annoying (so annoying) coverage as usual of vegetarian dishes, I took one look at the recipe and thought... "but actually... I have spinach, coconut milk, and lemons in the fridge...."

So I made it. And I wish I could say it was bad, alongside some roasted pumpkin and basmati rice, but dammit, it was delicious. (I seriously took the first bite and was like, "HA! Not good at.... DOH!") So here's the recipe, but don't take it as my tacit approval of the Times snarky vegetarian coverage, just take it as a yummy kale or spinach recipe that has a few of everybody's favorite things in it, and really doesn't need like, a mound of lamb skewers to accompany it. (It also doesn't need 4 hours of marinating.) But that's according to me, not to the Times.

Song of the Day: MGMT- Its Working

Improvisation, European Style

2010-11-04T07:06:00.004-04:00

I've realized since I've been in Belgium and Germany that I have an unusually high reliance on recipes and cookbooks. Most of my friends here, when making lunch or dinner, just glance around the kitchen and throw something together step by step. In contrast, even if I am making one of my own recipes I'll look back at the blog or my jotted notes to find out how exactly I did it. When my friends and I are cooking, this leads to some funny situations, where I am begging them to let me look quickly at a cookbook to find out what the cooking time, quantities, or temperature is, and they are heavily rolling their eyes saying "ahhh, you can just tell when its right, just taste it!!!"
Pumpkin+ Pumpkin oil+ bread + margarine
I have a whole cultural theory behind this: Europeans did not experience the same boom in reliance on prepared foods that Americans did in the fifties and sixties. (Ie, European recipes do not usually look like: "empty a can of mushroom soup onto chicken, toss, and bake for 30 minutes...") As a result of the fact that Europeans, either because of stronger traditional adherence, relative poverty in the post-war era, or the Common Agricultural Policy, retained a reliance on elemental ingredients, and thus passed down to their children techniques for cooking that became second nature. American kids, on the other hand, found themselves at a loss for making things from scratch, having grown up with canned beans, cake mix, and Hamburger Helper. (Not everyone, mind you, but I think its more typical in the US than here.)

Roasted carrots+ Avocado+ olive oil+ salt and pepper

This might be why European cookbooks are so sparse in explanation (as opposed to the novels in American cookbooks), and why my generation had to teach ourselves to cook relatively simple things: we grew up with so many prepared foods at our disposal that we forgot improvisational cooking techniques, and feel more attached, (even, fervently attached) to cookbooks that teach us how to get those skills back.

Now, this is all a theory and I may be totally full of it, please let me know if you have an alternate explanation in the comments.
Mashed potatoes mashed w/ brussels sprouts+roasted sweet potatoes, carrots, and pears

At any rate, this is all to say that here are a few meals that were bravely improvised, with nary a recipe in sight. You may notice that they have very few ingredients, but still, I'm making progress here! However, I don't care if I live in Europe till I die, you will still have to pry my Veganomicon from my cold, dead American hands.

In search of simits

2010-11-03T17:38:00.004-04:00

When I traveled to Istanbul I was totally enchanted. Aside from the dreamy, dusty city, the food was fantastic and totally vegan friendly. But one item in particular captured my attention, probably because they were so ubiquitous and affordable: "simits," these round, kinda-crispy, sesame covered breads that you can find everywhere. Vendors sold them everywhere out of large baskets, and you could see students, tourists, and little old ladies eating them happily with butter or cheese and a cup of the ubiquitous sweet tea.

Here in Berlin, with a substantial Turkish population we also have plenty of simits. I could buy one for less than a euro at any given shop or at market places, where they are piled into huge stacks alongside other Turkish breads. (I often eat them with fancy mustard like a pretzel, as a German twist.) However, I really want to make them myself! First, because I want to make a bunch to eat all week since they keep well, and second, because I want to have a handy recipe for those times I'm not in Berlin or Istanbul, or to share on the vegan interwebs.

So the other day, I interrogated a vendor for his secret recipe, as carefully as possible given my crap German. It went something like this:

Me: Hello, these are simits, yes? I have allergic. Do they eggs inside have?
Vendor: No, naturally not, no eggs.
Me: Do they milk have?
Vendor: No, these are simits, they aren't made with milk.
Me: So, then, water, flour, and.... yeast? Or bake powder? I want have cooked them at my house.
Vendor: Very complicated recipe, better just to buy some from me, all fresh.

Hmmph. The woman at the store downstairs (which also sells them) gave me a similar run-around, and seemed a little pissed that I wouldn't just buy one. So, before alienating more people, now I've resorted to baking small batches of recipes I find online, and so far I've reached a few conclusions:

1. Definitely yeast and not baking powder.
2. The outside is brushed or dipped in something sticky to make all the sesame seeds stick, and its not soymilk.

Above you see the first attempt, which was definitely tasty with black tea but not quite right and missing the requisite deep brown crust. I have a feeling that it could be a few drops of pomengranate syrup diluted in water, from some vague references. Anyways, the simit mystery is not solved yet, but I will keep at it, until I can enjoy a lovely vegan treat with tea and soy margarine without leaving the house. (Lofty goals there, I admit it.)

Well, if any of you readers are aware of a perfect simit recipe out there, let me know. If not, I'll keep laboring after them myself, which I'll admit, is not all that bad of a way to spend an afternoon.

Tahini Two Ways

2010-11-02T12:08:00.004-04:00

Tahini is one of those ingredients that people are rarely aware of before they turn vegan, like agave nectar, kale, or almond butter. But upon being tapped by the vegan fairy, you are obligated to consume large quantities of it in everything from soup to muffins, and I gladly oblige, especially since its so cheap and plentiful here in Germany! Its one of the middle eastern ingredients I've become exceedingly fond of, alongside pomengranate molasses. I'm basically using both every day.

Last night I made a simple tahini-miso dressing (equal parts tahini and dark miso, a bit of agave and some water whisked together) to drizzle over roasted sweet potatoes and carrots, alongside rice and garlicky rainbow chard. It was such a light and perfect meal, and the tahini sauce was a total match made in heaven for the sweet potatoes.

Then, this morning, still on my tahini kick, I whipped up a big batch of thick, spreadable hummus for my sesame and poppy seed bagels du jour, which my friend and I happily gobbled up drizzled in a little pomengranate molasses. Total heaven.

And I've heard that sesame seeds have calming properties, which is good since I am fairly freaked about the elections today in the USA. I guess not all tea-partiers are anti-gay, anti-immigrant, ultra-nationalist religious fundamentalists, right? RIGHT?

Song of the Day: NOFX- We got to jealous agains

PS: You absolutely MUST go check out Kittee's Dia de los Muertos sugar skulls at Cake Maker to the Stars and Amey's equally gorgeous and outrageous sugar cookies at Vegan Eats and Treats, I'm so in awe!

Step by Step Sweet Potato Gnocchi

2010-11-01T12:41:00.004-04:00

Hello and welcome to November, aka Vegan Month of Food and the time when vegan bloggers unite in a fearsome quest to blog everyday for the whole month. This is def the time to bookmark some recipes and ideas from the vegan blog-o-sphere because they will be flying at you faster than you can handle all month long!

So, starting us off on this end is my (simple as humanly possible) recipe for sweet potato gnocchi, in pictures. Its such a good way to use up sweet potatoes if they're abundant in your area, and they freeze perfectly. Best of all, they are vegan, which you can't always say for the gnocchi you find at restaurants or in your grocer's freezer. The only reason people don't eat them everyday is because they're scared, I guess, so now you don't have to be intimidated: if you can make a snowman with play dough you can do this!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
*Serves 1-2 so def double or triple for bigger groups.

1. Either bake or microwave one large sweet potato until easily piercable with a fork, then peel and either mash it or force it through a potato ricer. (I prefer the latter.) Let it sit and cool for as long as it takes to reach room temp.
2. When its finally cool, put the mound of sweet potato onto a lightly floured surface, and add in approx. 3/4 of a cup of all-purpose flour and a pinch of salt. (I use about this much flour per cooked potato, but it can be much more or less depending on humidity, potato size or juiciness, and your horoscope sign.) Using your hands, knead flour into potato for about ten minutes, or until you have a smooth and basically dry dough. You want it to be just dry enough to roll a piece between your fingers without it sticking to your hands- the goal is to use as little flour as possible to reach this consistency.
4.) Now that you have your dough ball, pinch off a palm full of the dough at a time and, using your fingertips, roll it into a log as fat as your thumb, give or take. Repeat for the rest of the dough until you have a bunch of little logs.

5.) Using a sharp knife, slice each log into small rectangles. (If its really hot/humid where you are live you might want to refrigerate the logs first to make this easier on yourself.)

6.) Finally, roll each little log off the tip of a fork to create tiny indentations to hold sauce and just to be cute. No one ever died from eating gnocchi without these little lines, but I recommend it. :)
7.) You are now ready to either freeze or cook! If freezing, freeze separately on a cutting board or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet, then consolidate into a freezer bag. (So they don't stick together.) If cooking, add gnocchi into boiling salted water and cook about 5 minutes, or until floating. You can also fry them in oil or margarine along with onions, garlic and shallots. Its all tasty.

Enjoy!

song of the day: Arcade Fire- We Used to Wait

You don't have to be French to make crepes...

2010-10-19T05:26:00.006-04:00

...though it doesn't hurt. Crepe-making can be, shall we say, a little nerve-wracking for the cook who is not accustomed to having to throw out the first 3-4 of whatever she's cooking. So whenever I make crepes, I always listen to music of one of my heroes, Josephine Baker to get me in the mood. She was the first American to so successfully "fake it till she made it" as French that she ended up spying for the French Resistance in WWII and eventually received the Cross de Guerre, the French Medal of Honor. (Although, let's not compare the small inconvenience of making crepes to the incredible story of Baker, who started out at 12 dancing on the street-corners of Harlem, became a vaudeville sensation, then landed in Paris where she danced as a topless savage in an (arguably racist) revue dressed in a banana bikini... then went on to learn French, buy her own club, transform herself into a ballgown-wearing diva, and become such an icon of dance, film, and music that she is known only as "La Baker" in France. You should really read one of her biographies sometime, she's awesome.)

Anyways, you have to have a little joie de vivre to attempt crepes, but if you do, the payoff is great and results in versatile but equally delicious treats. They go gracefully from a soft wrap for balasamic-kissed vegetables, as I served the other night (sauteed mushrooms, shallots, green beans and carrots in a tiny bit of balsamic with soy yogurt on top)...

...to a crunchy shell for dessert once you gently refry them, as I had the next day (with bananas, brown sugar, and more soy yogurt.)

In either case, if you can get past the fear (more like certainty) of a little failure, than you get the hang of it pretty quickly and have a stack of crepes to enjoy for as long as you hold on to them. The recipes are also omni-present in every vegan cookbook, and I've had great success with both the Sarah Kramer version and the V'Con version.

So basically what I'm saying is, whether you need a jaunty little beret, some music, or a banana-leaf bikini to get in the mood, be brave and make some crepes because they are delicious and will put your friends (and lovers) in awe.

Here are some more ideas and tips for crepe making and crepe-filling from the archives:
-Lentil and Walnut Dinner Crepes
-Banana, Brown Sugar, and Soy Sour Cream Crepes

Song of the Day: Josephine Baker- J'ai deux Amours

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

2010-10-14T04:20:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, on the way home from language school I encountered the most enormous sweet potato I have ever seen. Being the thrifty girl that I am, I thought I should just pass her by (süßkartoffels are feminine in German*) and proceed to my standby lentils and rice for dinner, but somehow my lust for fall food got the better of me and I brought her home. But then, as so often happens when you bring an attractive stranger home, I didn't have any idea what to do with her. I delicately introduced the idea of a soup, but then thought it might be a bit vanilla. But then I remembered that sweet potatoes love coconut milk and curry.... and some lentils might go in for health and depth.

I ended up with the this perfect fall soup, a sweet and spicy way to please an enormous sweet potato (and I still have half of her left for tomorrow!)

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Curried Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

1 tbs. oil
2 Cloves Garlic, diced
1 Heaping Tbs. diced ginger
1 small onion, diced
1 small (tiny) dried chile, crushed. (optional)
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1 and 1/2 Tsp. Curry powder
1 Med. Sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks (about 2 C.)
1/2 C. red lentils, rinsed
3 C. Water + 1 cube veg bouillon (or 3 C. veg broth)
1/3 C. coconut milk

1. Heat oil over med heat in a medium soup pot. Add in garlic, ginger, optional chile and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn garlic.
2. Add in sweet potato and Turmeric, Cumin, and Curry powder, plus a healthy pinch of salt. Cook a few minutes more (browning sweet potatoes) then add in lentils and stir to coat.
3. Add in water and veg bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and lentils are soft. Add a bit more water if too thick for your tastes (lentils absorb a lot of the liquid.)
4. Remove from heat. Blend mixture with an immersion blender, leaving half chunky if preferred. Taste and adjust spices.
5. Gently stir in coconut milk and return to heat. Simmer another 10 minutes or until ready to serve.

Serves 2 for dinner, 4 for a starter
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*The way that everything is gendered in German leads to strange sentences, where a child, being neutral, is referred to as "it", and a sweet potato, being feminine, is "her". So you could conceivably say, "Can it (the child) bring her (the sweet potato) to me?"

Song of the day: Celia Cruz- La Vida es un Carnaval

Viva Vegan!

2010-10-12T02:31:00.005-04:00

Although I hail from the DC metro area and not, say, Guadalajara, the home cooking in my neck of the woods is often distinctly Latin inspired. DC has a huge Latino population, and in my neighborhood in particular you can get chipotles for pennies, at least five different kinds of tortillas at the local Giant, and plantains at all stages of ripeness any time of year. As a result, I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to Latin American cooking. So imagine my snobby annoyance that I have to scour Berlin for a measly can of cooked black beans. And you can forget about corn tortillas or chipotles. (I have to rely on my parents care packages for those.)

So imagine how thrilled I was to see that Terry Hope Romero, of PPK and Veganomicon fame, has come out with a new cookbook packed with DIY methods for my favorite Latino dishes, plus tons of things I had never dared dream of after going vegan (like Tres Leches cake!!!). Of course, I had to have it. And naturally, Viva Vegan, is amazing. (I had little doubt.) Some of the recipes seem rather intensive, but so worth the effort. I never really thought about it before, but Latin American cooking is actually such a natural fit for vegans. Its always rich in veg favorites like tomatoes, beans, and corn, plus it can be spicy and filling without relying entirely on dairy or protein for heartiness. It substitutes innovative cooking techniques for quick fatty fixes. And although its not a stretch to veganize dishes like guacamole or tortillas, Romero really goes the distance with a range of dishes that I haven't tried before, like hearty stews and sandwiches, as well as tamales, empanadas, pupusas and enchiladas. (oh, yeah, and flan. That's right. Flan.)

I tried the Venezuelan black beans, citrus tofu, and garlic rice the other night (with some cashew sour cream) and it magically attracted the whole neighborhood, to my dismay. (I had plans for leftovers...) It was all amazing, even given my less than stellar tofu supply. The garlic rice was especially surprising, since I kind of thought rice wasn't really in need of improvement. (I was wrong.) The black beans were mild and a little sweet and really flavorful- totally worth the wait.

Well, I could fawn some more but I think you get the picture. Terry Hope Romero is a high priestess of Vegan cooking and I am thrilled beyond belief that she turned her attention to my favorite home cooking. You can get it here, and I imagine you will be seeing many more of its recipes featured on this here blog.

Song of the day: Jeanette- Por Que Te Vas

More Latin flavor:
-Chipotle Plantain Enchiladas
-Tamales
-Vegan Mole Power
- Mango Avocado Salsa

Austerity Measures: Baking

2010-10-03T09:00:00.004-04:00

So you may have heard about the austerity measures introduced in Europe that many are protesting these days- cutbacks on government spending designed to reduce debt. Unfortunately, we are also participating in my household- not just to reduce debt (ha) but because there is no more money to spend. Turns out getting a job isn't as easy as I'd hoped... nevertheless, I am prepared! From a whole year of insanely cheap living in Brussels I have honed my skills for cheapest of the cheap living. And one of my favorite tactics to eat inexpensively but not feel overly deprived is to use lots and lots of flour. Pancakes, bagels, muffins, pierogies, and more can be had majorly on the cheap, especially if you keep a well-stocked pantry leftover from more profitable times. Not to mention when you are making something with dough, you are usually getting something you can eat all week. And of course, baking is also fun. :)

So in the spirit of saving dough through dough, I have 3 recipes to offer (as opposed to the usual none). First, the delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles pictured above are from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! and the recipe can be found (along with a helpful video) on the Post Punk Kitchen website, here. I'm not usually the biggest cookie person (more Team Cupcake, if you must know) but these were so amazing its ridiculous. They are made with very simple ingredients that you already have and I don't even want to tell you how quickly they disappeared.

Next up, here is a recipe for *slightly healthier* bagels that are a nice treat with peanut butter and bananas, or soy cream cheese.
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Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

-1 packet active yeast
-3.5 Tbs sugar, or sub out 1/2 with agave nectar
-1.5 C. warm water
-2.5 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 C. raisins (or cranberries)
-1.5 C. whole wheat flour
-2.5 C. flour (Europeans: I recommend Type 1050 for bagels)
-2 tsp. salt
-1/2 c. oatmeal flakes

1.) Combine yeast and water in a large bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until starts to bubble.
2.) Add in both kinds of flour, salt, sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. Knead together for 10-15 minutes, using additional flour if necessary, until dough is less sticky but not completely dry, and relatively smooth. (The raisins might want to fight their way out, but stick them back in.)
3.) Drizzle a bit of vegetable oil in a large bowl and place dough inside, flipping to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set somewhere sunny. Let dough rise for at least an hour.
4.) In the meantime, set up your bagel workshop. Here's how it should look: on one side you have a large floured surface that you can roll the bagels on. This is right near the stove top, where you have a large pot filled with water. Then, a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and finally a plate filled with the oatmeal flakes.
5.) So, after an hour, bring the large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and preheat the oven to 400(f) or 200(c). While these items are heating up, you get to form the bagels! Punch the risen dough down and divide into 8 separate balls (for big, huge bagels) or 10 for smaller ones. On your floured surface, roll each piece into a loose ball, flatten a bit in a thick circle, and pierce a hole through the middle using your thumb. Smooth out a bit and place on floured surface.
5.) Now its time to boil the bagels. On one side, you have your floured surface with 8-10 bagels. In the middle you have the boiling water. On the other side, a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Lower bagels (carefully!) two at a time into boiling water, and let boil for about 3 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Remove each with a slotted spoon to cookie sheet and repeat with the next batch. As soon as bagels are cool enough to handle, dip quickly into oatmeal.
6.) When all bagels have been boiled and dipped, place cookie sheet in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and bagel size.) They should be golden brown and fully raised. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack until ready to eat!

*******************
And finally, here are some lecker muffins bedecked with plum and a hint of ginger that one can enjoy using tiny baby plums or regular sized ones.

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Plum and Ginger Muffins

2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Tbs. Baking powder
1 Tbs. Soy Flour
1 C. Soymilk
1/4 C. veg oil
Pinch salt
1 C. plums, peeled and diced into small pieces
1 Tbs. Ginger, diced into very small pieces

1.) First, preheat oven to 400(f) or 200(c) and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
2.) Next, deal with your plums. If they are very small plums you don't have to bother peeling them, but for the larger ones go ahead because the peels can be a tiny smidge bitter. Slice in half, remove pit, and chop into smaller chunks.
3.) Peel a large chunk of ginger and dice or grate into very small pieces, a tablespoon's worth. Mix together with plums.
4.) Mix together wet ingredients then sift in dry ingredients. Stir until everything is wet, then add in plums and ginger. Stir until "just mixed" then ladle into muffin tin, filling each cup a little more than halfway. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

******************

Hmm, and speaking of baking, time to go take out the next round of bagels...

Tyranny of tiny plums

2010-09-24T07:10:00.008-04:00

So we are still fairly flooded with cheap and tiny plums (the "mirabellen" variety, to be exact) here in good old Berlin. They sell for almost nothing at markets, come in our weekly CSA basket, and sometimes, you even find them on the streets. So I have been trying to come up with new uses for them other than the ubiquitous plum cake. Well, actually, we made a plum cake too. (A beautiful one!)

I used the fancy cake recipe from the Urban Vegan cookbook (I really urge you to go out and grab that cookbook if you can, its jam-packed with greatness) and put a layer of golden mirabellen jam in between layers, with more plums on top. Boy, was this sweet. (Maybe a little too sweet?) But then again, we served it on Rosh Hoshanah, so too sweet is good. My friend SY was there and had a professional touch that made a simple cake just stunning- she knows all the tricks for making food gorgeous. Unfortch, I didn't get a pic of the finished product, but then, that's how it always is on holidays. (It was a nice celebration though, as seen below.)

In other plum related news, I made a salad with some gorgeous fennel we also got in our basket and some arugula: it was basically caramelized fennel, chopped plums, arugula and homemade balsamic vinegar dressing. Very rich and delicious.

And finally, I made some plum and ginger muffins to hand out in language school. In my opinion, these were a little bitter or something with a strange aftertaste, so I will withhold the recipe until I can perfect them. But they were pretty and good, just not absolutely perfect. (Next time they will be!)

I am pleased that I now have a variety of options for getting rid of the tiny little plums everywhere, but I must say that now I'm ready for the next challenge... maybe pumpkins?

song of the day: Belle and Sebastian- Sookie in the Graveyard

Vegan Pierogi Power

2010-09-16T18:00:00.001-04:00

Yes! I finally got around to making the pierogi from Vegan Brunch! Thanks Madame Moskowitz, another winner!

I felt desperate to make them this week because I am currently in a German language class down the street with many different nationalities, including an Australian man, a Korean woman, a Japanese man, and two lovely Polish women. No one, except for me and the Australian, speak a common language, so in order to communicate we have to cling to our tiny bit of German, along with our national stereotypes. For the Japanese man, for instance, this means that teacher constantly asks him about sushi. (I can only imagine how much he loves that.) For the Polish women, this means that they speak German with a charming, rolling accent ("Trrrotsdem, ich will nach Park gehen") and that we end up talking about Pierogi a lot.

Actually, language school in general is rather charming. No one really knows how to say anything complex enough to be snarky or sexual, so we end up talking like kindergardeners all the time, babbling on about whether we prefer swimming to playing soccer, or what our favorite color is, or what we eat in our home country. Of course, this is all conducted in the sort of German that no actual Berliner would even come close to comprehending, but its fun all the same and I feel like I'm making some progress.

At any rate, after discussing pierogi for the 5th time in class, I thought I'd better break out Vegan Brunch and see what all the fuss was about. And, honestly, these are just lovely. If you've been waiting to make them because they seem like a lot of work, well, that's true. But they are so tasty, especially dressed up with some caramelized onions, salt and pepper, and apples (in lieu of apple sauce.) S. and I gobbled them all up and I assured him I would make more soon. (Maybe next time with the sauerkraut and mushroom variation!)

Luckily for you, the recipe is already online! However, you should still get Vegan Brunch, because the pancake and sausage recipes are absolutely iconic.

In the meantime, if you decide to try this at home, I would recommend doing it the first time with a partner, because while it is not difficult, like bagels it can be a bit stressful to master at first, particularly in a tiny kitchen. That way, you won't have to throw out a third of the dough because you knock it over into the compost... like some people I know.

Song of the Day: Best Coast- Boyfriend

A Day at the Mauerpark Flea Market

2010-09-13T05:39:00.005-04:00

With the startling re-emergence of good weather in Berlin (but not for long, I fear), we decided to take a trip to the giant flea market at Mauerpark in Prenzlauerberg."Mauerpark" is named after the Berlin wall, which used to run through the area and designate it a large strip of no-go zone, but now it's a large park that holds a weekly flea market full of everything your little heart could desire. We love to go to browse through records, Donald Duck comics, and tons of vintage clothes, as well as to gobble bruschetta and arepas while watching the public kareoke, which always includes a rapturous version of "I did it my way" by an old man with a great voice and self-made German lyrics. All in all, its a great example of something that used to be quite horrible that has altered completely in the new Berlin. Definitely worth a visit.

Gemüsekiste Central

2010-09-06T15:17:00.005-04:00

Look at all my purple CSA babies...

So I've still been adjusting to the awesomeness of having a CSA basket delivered (auf Deutsch, gemüsekiste) and how to use up the relatively large bounty between two people. So far, though, its been pretty easy going and my bf is pretty game to try out new things. Last week we had a huge bag of tiny plums, and I recalled from last year's plum cake experiments that Mihl of Seitan is My Motor is the resident tiny-plum expert. Luckily, she has just posted a recipe for slivovice plum compote that fit the ticket perfectly, and I had a bottle of dusty Mirabellen brandy in the cabinet that handily replaced the slivovivovice (or however you spell it.)

Guys, it was so good I wish we got nothing but plums from now on out. I kept on poking my finger in it and spreading it on anything we had around (like a simit, weirdly) but we eventually spooned it over milk-rice (a German kind of rice pudding, with soymilk, natch) and everyone was very happy. Thanks Mihl! You win at life, and plums.

We also had a little issue of disposing of the two(!) huge kohlrabi we got in the basket. Here's a sample conversation:

Me: So, are ever going to eat all that kohrabi?
S: Was?
Me: You know, that weird green vegetable that smells like broccoli?
S: Ach, ja, kohl-raaaah-bee.... hmmmm.... yeah we really should eat those...
Me: Maybe you could like, make some kind of German soup or something?
S: Or you could make some kind of American kohrabi stir-fry oder so?

....BOTH: Or maybe we could just have spaghetti again.

So eventually I won and S. made some soup! I was really impressed, it tasted a bit like broccoli and potato soup, a creamy and perfectly acceptable way to get rid of the bizarre looking vegetable.

If you're looking to get rid of some kohrabi of your own, its basically this: 2 diced kohlrabi and one potato, 1/2 onion, 4 garlic, and plenty of veg broth. Cook until everything is soft, then blend with some soy creamer and salt and pepper to taste. Dunno the exact measurements unfortunately, as it comes from an old German cookbook and I'm not quite there yet with my German. (Soon!)

And so now we've got the box for the next week and I'm looking forward to introducing S. to the joy of beets... And since its already getting cold in Berlin, I imagine we have many more soups in our future.

Song of the day: Interpol- Barricade

Dissertation Days and CSA Food

2010-09-01T16:51:00.004-04:00

I've been absent not just from the blogosphere but also from real life the last weeks because I've been working on my Master's Thesis, an exciting exploration of public international law and its impact on....on.....*BANG* Oh sorry, just dozed off on the keyboard. Well let's forget about all that awfulness and focus on the food.

Interestingly, my S. really stepped up to plate as I languished in front of the keyboard for interminable hours, plying me with Club Mate and the occasional beer as well as breaks to watch True Blood and Mad Men. But most importantly, he cooked! Like this nice peanut butter curry with TVP that we found at a local Asian market.

He also fixed up the rice with the remaining nuts and dried fruits in the cupboard, plus some cumin. It was the perfect meal to shovel in my mouth as I worked on the Geneva Convention Chapter.

In addition, we recently signed up for a CSA basket to be delivered weekly, which has so far offered such delights as mirabellen (tiny little yellow plums), rainbow chard, and organic sauerkraut. Who knew this last would be such a delight?

We made a souped-up version of the Dutch hutspot I featured last year (you know, the carrot and potato mash that is cheap and crowd-pleasing). This time, we used potatoes, Sauerkraut, apples and garlic. It may not look like much above, but it was so good- sour, sweet, salty and creamy, and perfect with a crisp salad. Since the winter weather is already kicking into Berlin, this one is a keeper for a filling cold-weather meal.

Best of all, between the sauerkraut, potatoes, and apple, its hard to spend more than 1€ on this meal.

Hutspot Revisited
-5-6 peeled medium potatoes, quarted
-About 1 and 1/2 cups sauerkraut (more or less won't hurt) drained
-1 medium onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, diced
-1 apple, peeled and diced into small cubes
-soy creamer and vegan margarine to taste

1.) Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add in potatoes and drain excess water until just barely covered. Add in sauerkraut on top so it is spread out and covering potatoes. Cover and simmer for 23-30 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
2.) Meanwhile, in a saute pan dollop some olive oil and margarine and put on medium low. Saute garlic and onions until soft and translucent, then raise heat to medium and add in apple. Cook 3-5 more minutes until apples and onions start to brown then remove from heat.
3.) When potato mixture is done, drain excess water then salt and pepper to taste. Mash with small amounts of cream and margarine until fairly creamy. Then add in onion-garlic-apple mixture and stir until just mixed. Serve with a big salad and some crusty German bread. Lekker!

Now if I could just figure out what to do with all of this kohlrabi, then the CSA would really be a thrill...

Song of the day: Beach House- Walk in the Park

My blueberry days

2010-08-13T11:33:00.011-04:00

Above: half-eaten rooftop brunch featuring blueberry-banana pancakes, brunch potatoes, pretzels, mustard, beer, coffee, apfel shorle, and lots of strange and German non-vegan things... (weisse wurst not pictured, shudder)

Below: another blueberry pie, devoured withing mere minutes of this photo being taken by a pack of hungry houseguests.

Ahh, summer.

Summer Pie Madness

2010-07-29T06:30:00.001-04:00

Why, when it is hot enough to melt off my make-up, do I suddenly have the urge to make pies? It is not to please my boyfriend, who is completely indifferent to most sweet things I try to force on him. Its not to get rid of all the extra fruit I have growing in my non-existent orchard. I guess its just because when I look at a peach or carton of blueberries, I instantly envision bubbling fruit surrounded by a sweet flaky crust and topped with some ice cream. Let's just say I have a one-track mind.

However, I do not have the skills to match it. Check out this disaster of a blueberry pie.

Well, it wasn't so bad. The blueberries were lekker. But the crust was not much to see, mainly because I could not master keeping it flaky in such warm weather. I kept re-rolling it, only to find it harder and harder to put it into the pan without it breaking. And then when I did, of course, it was overrun by out-of-control blueberries, so that it was more like some kind of neglected pandowdy or something.

But for the lovely, and tiny, peach pie you see framing either side of the page, I took the great advice of the lovely Urban Vegan and just basically did not mix the dough AT ALL. Just the tiniest bit. And it turned out so lovely! (Her cookbook is just full of such tips, btw.)

I topped it with some quick cashew cream and the whole thing was just marvelous for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Didn't last much longer than that.) I'm also lusting for some cherry pie, but I really need to find someone who likes sweets more than my boyfriend, because I cannot continue to eat these things all by my lonesome. (Not a good reason to break up with him, but I'll be sure to bring it up in some upcoming fight. "You never eat my pies!" I'll scream...)

Song of the Day: My Bloody Valentine- Strawberry Wine