Mac and Cheese w/ Rainbow Chard and Sweet Potatoes

Maybe one day I will write a cookbook called "Just Add Sweet Potatoes!". Its kind of becoming my thing- I mean, I've done it with Gnocchi, Enchiladas, Chile...and now with Mac & Cheese. Its no big deal guys... this is just the form that my genius takes, finding things in which to insert sweet potatoes. That, and explaining American TV shows to my husband in a way that makes him think I am psychic. ("How did you know that Walt poisoned the Stevia?!?")

For this delicious combo, I made the classic (if fatty) mac & cheese from Vegan Yum Yum that I always make and threw in a little wilted swiss chard and sweet potatoes for good measure. Consider it my own simple (and late) contribution to Vegan Mofo's mac and cheese mania.

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Mac  & Cheese with Rainbow Chard and Sweet Potatoes

Vegan Yum Yum Cheese Sauce (or your own favorite, such as Isa's)
3 C. pasta
2 C. Rainbow chard, sliced into thin ribbons
1 Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
Paprika and Chile powder

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200 C) and line a bake sheet with baking paper. Set a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta.
2. In a bowl, toss sweet potato cubes with a drizzle of oil, and a pinch of paprika and chile powder (optional for those who like the spicies.) Add to the oven and cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
3. Once the pot of water is boiling, add in the pasta. Make the cheese sauce according to Miss Yum Yum's instructions, and set aside.
4. Once pasta is finished cooking, drain it, reserving a tablespoon or so of hot water and leaving it in the cooking pot. Add the chopped chard in, stir, and cover pot, leaving for about 5 minutes.
5. Finally, add cheese sauce to pasta and chard, tossing to coat. Add in sweet potato cubes.
Enjoy, topped with plenty of ground black pepper.

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Speaking of Germans and Vegan Mofo, I would like to point out two other noteworthy things: first, Spiegel (who I sometimes love-hate but mostly hate-hate) has an article discussing Vegan Food at Oktoberfest and other changes to the Bavarian yearly festival. It features the following amazingly German quote: "It's crazy at times, says Peter Hartwich, head of the Wiesn police station, "because people no longer recognize any social limits to their efforts at self-realization." Second, Seitan Beats Your Meat had a Mad Men theme this month, surely one of the greatest Vegan Mofo themes of all time, and also an excellent excuse to reprint the image below.

"I'll show you vegan," says Betty

Song of the day- The Julie Ruin- Girls Like Us

Hot Knives Mac and Cheese

Oh man, US Elections are so much more fun from the US! I was totally excited to try to stay up until 6 last week and watch how a close race played out in my home state of Virginia. I went to a local bar where they were broadcasting US news and serving pancakes all night long. However, by 3am I was pretty drunk and tired of standing around with Berlin's entire American and British population in a bar the size of my kitchen, straining for a peek at CNN. So instead I passed out "early" (ie, before any swing state came in) and the next morning while passing me the coffee my husband commented casually, "oh by the way, did you see Obama won?"

Aaaargh. Its a total drag trying to translate American pleasures to a foreign context.

But its ok. I'm already looking forward to coming home over the holidays and partaking in the most American, female, East Coast possible activity- going to see Les Mis in the theaters the day after Christmas (of COURSE.) And until then, I have vegan mac and cheese. Did you guys see that Hot Knives posted a to-die-for new mac and cheese recipe with BEER? This may just replace my standard Vegan Yum Yum version. With leeks and carrots on the side its comfort food for the absentee voter.

Hot Knives: Perfecting Vegan Mac and Cheese

Song of the Day: Bombay Bicycle Club- Shuffle

Sauteed Veggie Sandwich, Cupcakes, Eggplant Accras

Ahh, the ex-pat life. Where one day offers exhilarating discoveries (OMG Markthalle Neun has a vegan milkshake stand!) and the next day has you sobbing over ridiculously trivial challenges (OMG I can't understand my yoga teacher... wie sagt mann "Downward Facing Dog" auf Deutsch?!)

Now that I am really kind of a Berliner, by marriage and passport, I am feeling the pressure to get my sh*t together and stop being intimidated away from things like dentists and the metric system. Its time to face the German music (just not Wagner, please) and make a grown-up life for myself here.

However, one area where I am pleasantly caught up is in the kitchen. I know where to buy agar agar and miso, where to find vegan tamales, and how to navigate the baking aisle. I am even a regular at several farmer's markets. Thus, after a day of blustering through phone conversations or awkward interactions with librarians, I can still come home and enjoy something that reinforces that, to a very small extent, I know what I'm doing.

Above, for example, is a new sandwich creation. You know the magic sandwich, right? With the margarine+ nooch+ herb crust and various fillings? Well, above is a new take, with quick-sauteed spinach, mushrooms and peppers with a bit of balsamic as a filling. Totally takes lunch to another level. (Plus, hot sandwiches are crucial for your winter arsenal.)

 And clearly enough time in the kitchen leads to cupcakes. These ones were vanilla on vanilla, with fig filling and baby apricots on top.

I also recently acquired Taymer from Vegan in the Sun's cookbook, Carribean Vegan. It is totally jam-packed with things you will want to make, like jerk seasoning and Trinidadian doubles, but I had to start out with the eggplant accras- a riff on the little fried fish balls that are popular in that region, except with eggplant to sub for the fish. Taymer herself calls them her signature dish, and you can find the recipe on her website, here.  I made these for me and S. the other night and we dipped them in a little ketchup with lemon... it was like, restaurant quality. I highly recommend. They could be a great appetizer, but they would also be great for dinner with a side salad.

I'm definitely looking forward to making more from that cookbook, and continuing to reassert myself in the kitchen (before reasserting myself all over the rest of this country!!!)


Song of the Day: Dinosaur Jr. - Start Chopping

Vegan Mofo: Mushroom Risotto

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 Hot Dog Toppings to Drool Over

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

Mushroom Paprikás

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

Not quite Spring, but almost...

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!

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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.

International Women's Day!

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...?

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".

Is it really so strange?

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...

Gemüsekiste Central

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

Passover Roundup!

Passover dessert last year, at my dear friend Karen's house.

Passover always officially marks the beginning of Spring in my year. To me, the holiday is about remembering slavery and oppression, as well as trying to recognize it in our daily lives and the lives of those elsewhere on our planet. It is also about hope for future liberation, and in recognizing another year to do the work of making the world a better place. In that respect, I also find it very compatible with my feelings about being a vegetarian and working for equality and social justice. The awesome feast doesn't hurt, either.

Since Passover is so special to me, I think being in another country is no reason not to celebrate it. Sure, I have no idea where to find kosher wine or matzoh flour here in Belgium... but its gotta be available somewhere, and I will find it by Tuesday, when 7 people descend on my tiny cramped apartment demanding matzoh ball soup. Until then, I am scouring the internet for awesome recipes that can be made with my limited funds, space, and ingredients.

Here's some of the great stuff I've found for those of you hosting your own seder, or just wanting to contribute a vegan dish to one you might be going to. (Nicely, since vegan food contains no dairy, you are safe bringing these dishes to a Seder regardless of whether its a meat or dairy one!)
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The Times has a Mark Bittman recipe for... wait for it... making your own matzoh! Not quite sure my kitchen can handle it (500 degrees on a glorified toaster oven?) but I'm very tempted to try.

Over at Tofu Mom's site she has a recipe for vegan matzoh balls (just leave out the leavening to make it kosher for Passover.) Damn if she doesn't always post a recipe I need the week before I need it! As for the soup, here is a nice recipe for faux chicken soup if you don't have access to not-chicken broth.

At Not Derby Pie (non-vegan) there are a few nice veganizable recipes, and I am eying this Crisp Potato Eggplant Tart.

Epicurious has a Passover guide, like every year, and there are some great and multi-cultural ideas to be culled from it. I have tried their different versions of charoset every year, but the traditional apple and walnut version always wins. I should also mention that Epicurious has a lot of info on the Passover traditions, as well as videos of how to make a perfect matzoh ball. :)

Even PETA has a Passover guide, with a number of surprisingly appealing recipes, including tsimmes. (I don't mean to be snarky, but I've seen one too many nude models in lettuce leaves to be a huge PETA fan.)

...And naturally you are free to peruse the recipes I posted last year, including Coconut Macaroons, Cauliflower Leek Kugel, and Roasted Beets in Walnut Dressing.

I'll be sure to post what I eventually went with. Wish me luck!

BONUS: Jewschool always has thought-provoking posts this time of year, and here's a touching old Times article about Passover in Berlin.

Why I Love Vegan Cooking!

Its no new observation that necessity spurs creativity. How many dishes were created in a situation of deprivation that are now considered haute cousine? Southern soul food, Italian pasta dishes, bangers and mash, pad thai- the dishes that are created to feed hungry families with a minimum of expensive ingredients have a way of making their way into our hearts and getting reinvented. Vegan and vegetarian dishes are also often spurred by necessity- but it is a self-imposed necessity.

Whether to avoid animal cruelty, for health reasons, or for mere distaste towards animal products, the vegetarian lifestyle is always a sort of self-imposed exile. The way that a herbivore views supermarkets, restaurants, the homes of our friends and families, not to mention special occasions and religious holidays, necessarily changes, and this shift can be extremely jarring at first.

More important is the change that happens in our own homes. There is no way to be vegan and to be complacent about what you put into your body. Instead, the ingredients of any given item must be examined for animal products, and the results are often surprising. Fish sauce in my favorite stir fry sauce? Chicken broth in vegetable soup? Lard in potato chips or canned beans? Who knew? And this realization is really the key- we don't always know what is in our favorite foods. Once we do, don't we need to create new favorites?

For me, my tastes have completely changed since I went vegetarian. The most important shift is that I vastly prefer food I prepare from basic ingredients to food that comes frozen, canned, or delivered. Not only because I can be sure of exactly what is in it, but also because I have discovered what a constant source of fun and even mental stimulation cooking vegan food can be.

Which takes me back to the creativity thing. The fact that, for a vegan, a craving for say, lasagna, usually can't be fulfilled with a trip to the supermarket or take-out from your favorite Italian place forces you to come up with something yourself. The first time I made lasagna with artichokes it I was amazed- not only that it tasted awesome, but that I had thought of it. And I think this sort of "a-ha!" that you can get when you figure out a perfect egg or cheese substitute, or whatever, is one of the reasons that vegan cooking is so exciting and undergoing such a renaissance. Combinations that people would never think of get tossed into every page of the new vegan cookbooks and on every vegan blog. Coconut milk on pizza? Sweet potato falafel? "Cheddar Cheese" made of almonds? Its like the futurist cookbook came to life. And the best part is that vegan cooking is not only the realm of vegans. The more people that try, say, cashew sour cream, vegan cupcakes, or banana "ice cream" the more they realize that it is easy to make healthier and way more interesting food, as part of a complete diet or as an accent to their omnivore lifestyle. And I firmly believe that people will look back on this era of food history, with heroes like Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Sarah Kramer, and Bryant Terry, as a time of amazing innovation that changed the way EVERYONE eats, not just vegans.

Ultimately, I think that a vegan diet almost always has the result of not limiting your choices, but of changing your entire perspective on what is normal and delicious. That's the remarkable side effect of going vegan: an irresistible expansion of ones tastes to allow for food that is more exciting, more strange, and above all, imbued with the lightness that comes from knowing that no one had to die for your dinner. And that's why I love, love, love vegan cooking in all its forms.



Why do YOU love vegan cooking?

Travel Hell and Christmas Eve Heaven

Ahhh holiday travel. Where two inches of snow translates into 3 days of travel delays.

Yes, my transit back to the good ole USSA was kind of a mess. Overnight in London Heathrow, overnight in ATL, numerous sleep-deprived marches through airports, but eventually, I made it home, to my hilarious dog (pictured) and adoring (or at least, adored) family. By the time I did make it back, there were 2 feet of snow on the ground, giving DC a freakishly rare white Christmas, and me a good excuse not to leave the house.

And you would think after being gone for 6 months I would have a lot of mail. I guess I felt like I was gone a long time and everyone would notice? But as a matter of fact, aside from student loan forms *shudder* all I received was one Christmas card... plus this awesome handmade cookbook-lette from Amey at Vegan Eats and Treats, "Cooking Up a Storm!"

Man was I excited to see that! This booklet is jam-packed with awesome looking recipes for all manner of deliciousness plus cute home-made drawings. It being Christmas, I went straight for the cookies and decided on the choco-cherry-pecan cookies. They took about 15 minutes all told, and they were so unbelievably delicious, especially with a tall glass of soymilk. Even in my sweets-filled household these went fast. Amey, your cookbook rocks! Thanks so much!

A few days after my initial arrival and many cookies later, my fam and I headed over to Peking Gourmet in Falls Church for the traditional Christmas Eve gorge. Peking Gourmet is famous for two reasons. 1.) It was President Bush (Sr.)'s favorite restaurant and there are pics of him splattered all over the place. 2.) The Peking Duck. You would think from these two snippets of info that I would hate the place, but actually I love it. It has a very limited vegetarian menu, but those items on it are phenomenal. I had the gourmet eggplant and my brother got a tofu dish that was equally fab.

I also love munching on the duck accompaniments: rice pancakes, plum sauce, and spring onions. Heaven. But truth be told, more than the food, I love the busy metro atmosphere in this spot, which has been in the Culmore shopping center forever and attracts hundreds of people over the holidays (and I suspect, most weekends.) The crowd out the door is huge on Christmas eve, but its always kind of exciting and we often see people we know. Definitely one of my favorite traditions of the holidays.

My other favorite tradition is the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. I love being in Europe, but the melancholic angst of Charlie Brown is just not something that translates well. After all, how would you translate the following into french: "Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you're the Charlie-Browniest!"

Ah, America.

Up-side down, Phake- Me-Out Pflaumenkuchen

On a nice cool evening a few nights ago I was walking down the street with my friend when we encountered what looked like a large crate of plums, discarded by the side of the road. Curious, we examined closer to find that, indeed they were plums, and most were still good. Now, if this were the U.S., I would have assumed that each one was fitted with a tiny razor blade and that would be the end of the story, but being in Berlin I decided to whimsically cast aside my American paranoia and bring the lovey plums home. I would make pflaumenkuchen, I thought. (Oh, how innocent I was back then.)

You see, a while back I had bookmarked Mihl from Seitan is My Motor's post on pflaumenkuchen, thinking it would be a good thing to make since a) plums are falling from the sky and b) I could impress my man with some traditional home-cooked german fare, rather than just bitching about how I can't cook because there are no chipotles in Germany. It all sounded well and good, until I started to make it.

The first problem happened in the grocery store, when I couldn't find yeast for the life of me, tried to ask a shopkeeper, and then, gesticulating wildly, dropped my purse along with thousands of euro coins all over floor. (Yeast is "hefe", in case you're wondering.)

Then came the measuring. You see, having no access to measuring cups at the moment, I thought I would try some improvisation: a shot glass! I merely converted the measurements into shot glass ounces and hoped for the best, rather absent-mindedly and cockily combining things while chatting on skype with my mother in the states. But soon, I realized that something had gone wrong. The dough was incredibly sticky, not warm like yeasted things ought to be, and getting worse by the moment. (Looking back, I think I doubled the soymilk and halved the yeast. Ugh.) Before long, I was frantically adding in flour using my elbows (hands too sticky) and cursing the day I ever thought I could bake. I suddenly knew, with frightening clarity, that never again would I spend a casual afternoon making muffins or cupcakes. Instead, I would be the stupid American who doesn't understand celcius or the metric system and has to busy herself with dropping coins all over supermarkets for small German children to find. German children whose mothers probably make a killer pflaumenkuchen. UGHHHH.

*Ahem*. However, an hour later, when my terrible little dough had not risen yet, I decided to strike back with trademark American ingenuity. I put all the plums I have dutifully cut up, along with some vanilla sugar and earth balance, in the bottom of the tin. I rolled the dough out thinly, cut it to size, and placed it on top. Then I cooked the whole thing for about 30 minutes. Here is what appeared after some flipping:

Not bad, right? At least pretty, or nothing a little powdered sugar couldn't pretty up.

As for the taste? The plum part was delicious, the dough was not too sweet and (obvs) un-risen and a little tough but had sort of a plum juice layer that tasted a bit like marzipan. And my boyfriend? Thought it was all intentional. Hurrah! Am not most worthless cook in Europe after all!

All the same though, I still have the ingredients, and 1/2 a crate of plums left... I think I want to try Mihl's recipe again, this time not fuc*ing it up utterly... maybe I'll use something a tad more accurate for measuring this time? While I ponder it, I may as well finish off the rest of my little monster creation, which, after all, really wasn't too bad. Particularly with a bunch of powdered sugar and a glass of soymilk.



Song of the Day: Die Stern- Was hat dich bloß so ruiniert?

"Food Inc." and Swell Curry

One of the stars of "Food Inc."

Today, I took a break from studying to see "Food Inc," a documentary that purports to expose the dark side of the American industrial food complex, and does a decently good job of doing so (particularly when it comes to the plight of illegal immigrant laborers). However, though I thought it admirable that the movie explores the problem from a range of socio-economic positions and tries not to be too judgmental of the people inside and out the system, there were some points when my jaw-dropped at the totally glaring omission.

Here: I can sum up the problem very simply. Our first introduction to the narrator features him (Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation) sitting at a diner counter, thoughtfully perusing the menu before finally landing on a cheeseburger and french fries. Let me just pause to have you think about that for a moment.

This is the guy who exposed the fast food industry. The guy who is going to spend the next two hours touring the nation's biggest producers of meat to expose the disgusting conditions, health risks, and human rights abuses caused by our food system skewed towards mass meat production. A guy who is going to quote The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. And he opens the movie chomping down on a burger? WHY?

This was my issue with the movie in a nutshell. They overview the major issues with the food system, and examine a few possible solutions and potential areas of improvement. But never, once, does anyone mention the word "vegan", "vegetarian", or "plant-based diet". (The word "herbivore" is thrown in there- in reference to an animal.) And believe me, after watching this movie, your decision to go vegetarian is going to be the #1 thing on your mind. The lack of ANY reference to vegetarianism as a viable solution or even step in the right direction isn't just an oversight, its outrageously bizarre given the context and, I think, offensive.

As a matter of fact, I struck up a conversation with a guy leaving the movie theater, who immediately brought up the fact that his first reaction with the movie was revulsion at the treatment of animals throughout the film. "I'm an athletic guy, and I always thought I needed protein... but you look at those animals, and how sick they are, and loaded up with crazy chemicals and think: I need THIS to stay healthy? There's got to be a better way." Couldn't agree more, movie-guy. Just wish "Food Inc" would have thought to mention that.

Did anyone else see the film and think differently? I would encourage others to see it, just take it with a grain of salt since it clearly equivocates on animal rights.

*********

At any rate, the movie did make me thrilled to be vegan. And I was even more thrilled when I got home and, in no time at all, threw together this scrumptious little curry from the fabulous Swell Vegan's line-up of delicious recipes. I made her "Lower-Fat Rama Spinach Curry," subbing green beans for spinach and seitan for tofu. But it was perfectly lovely, and made a sweet background to me ranting at my parents about the industrial food complex for a few minutes.


You make people dinner and they'll forgive a lot of things. :)


Song of the Day: Fugazi- Merchandise

Blood Orange Glazed Tempeh

We had just the slightest bit of sunshine and warmth this weekend and it totally ruined me for winter. All of a sudden my mind was racing, filled with images of Spring: riding my bike minus all of bulky wintry wear and nose frostbite, starting a windowsill herb garden, sitting in the grass at Dupont Circle reading a book and people-watching, dancing on the deck at Nelly's or 18th street lounge... and then, today it started flurrying. *SIGH*. Well, there's still some wintry hibernating in me yet, and there's no time like the present to get all the boring bar/ MPRE/ job search details out of the way, while I'm still confined to the indoors.

In the meantime, citrus-filled dishes have a way of making me think spring isn't too far off. This last weekend my friend K and I made the Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh highlighted on 101 Cookbooks. We subbed out some juicy looking blood oranges, which together with a little mirin, agave, ginger and garlic made for a unique and bright accompaniment to some pan-fried tempeh, quinoa and broccoli. I've never had tempeh this way it was irresistable! Be sure to check out the recipe. Karen, who had never even heard of tempeh before, thought it was awesome.


Also awesome was the fact that I had enough leftover quinoa to make the superbly great Pineapple Cashew Stir-Fry from V'Con.. I've made this before, but this time it was even better- I think that using leftover, day-old quinoa makes a crunchier stir-fry than making a batch just to use for the recipe. It also dramatically cuts down on prep time- I had time to make this AND cherry-chocolate muffins 45 minutes before I had to be at work. All the bright flavors- pineapple, basil, ginger, garlic- came together to make another spring-y meal in the dead of winter. Oh V'Con, you always save the day.

Song of the Day: ELO- Mr. Blue Sky

No use crying over spilled soymilk

Wow, so guess what happened to me this week? Its the first week of finals, I have my second 26 page paper due in 3 days, and my ENTIRE computer crashed. As in, hard-drive is completely wiped clean.

It all started the other day when I turned on my computer to find the screen replaced with a blinking question mark. "That's not good," I thought. And so it wasn't. I headed to my friendly neighborhood Apple Store to have it worked on, chastened, but still upbeat.

The Apple Store is increasingly reminding me of a doctor's office the more I go there. There are scared parents rushing in with cracked baby i-phones, ashamed dumbasses like me trying to sheepishly reveal our sketchy symptoms without mentioning that we don't use protection (back-up), and over-cautious newbies bringing their new macbook in because it merely froze. And meanwhile, the smug "geniuses" walk around saying "well, that's not good" and smirking at eachother while jangly hipster music plays in the background.

Well, actually, my "genius" was super nice and did all he could, but my hard-drive is gone, along with 16 lovely pages of my European Union law paper. *SIGH* I guess this is G-d's way of telling me that the last version was crap, and its time to try harder! I just wish my semester's worth of notes could have been salvaged...Oh yeah, and my 6,000 songs... *DOUBLE SIGH*.

At any rate, amidst all this madness I made some serious comfort food- Vegan Yum Yum's Mac & Cheeze. This was my first attempt at vegan mac & cheese, y'all! Can't believe I waited so long! It was way good. Even without the tomato paste or tahini, which I didn't have on hand. Toss in some roasted brussels sprouts and finals season, with its attendant computer woes, seems world's away...


Song of the Day: Somebody got murder- the Clash

Ah! Ich habe deinem mund gekusst....

I know I shouldn't be fixating on fin de siecle romantic Operas. I should be focusing on fin de semester papers and exams. But the lovely/ creepy refrain from the final number of Strauss' "Salome" simply will not leave my head! In it, the precocious teenage dancer-of-seven-veils kisses the severed head of John the Baptist, and finding it bitter with the taste of blood realizes (so I think) that one-sided, unrequited love can be a tragic (and morbid) waste of time. "SO whats the point? Whats the point?!!"

Well, I don't really have an answer... but I would say that dear Salome would probably have been a lot more satisfied in the end if she had sated her creepy blood-lust with a nice bowl of Jennifer's potato-leek soup instead. (Yeah, I know, BIG jump.) Creamy, warm and filling, and no one had to be beheaded. So there.


And if she still felt a little violent she might enjoy breaking out the immersion blender. :)

Here's the recipe!

A Lovely Day and Jennifer's Tacos de papas y lentejas

Even with the stress of finals (...and break-ups, and upcoming trips I'm not prepared for, and whatever else the world decides to throw at me) I'm trying to enjoy these first couple days of truly gorgeous weather in DC. The tendency during hardcore studying may be to lock oneself in a dark room and inhale coffee (and other substances, if you're from my school...), but I prefer to sit somewhere I can be easily distracted. Just look what's right outside my house!

Its the little things that make you more cheerful when you're incredibly screwed. For instance, instead of typing up an outline I'm hand-writing it. Its easier on my wrists, and since I can't bring it to the exam anyways I think the act of writing aids my memory. I'm also blasting music and making sure there are plenty of bananas and faux-nutella nearby, as crucial study aids.

You know what also helps? Having a full meal- not just vending machine cuisine. While I was wondering if I could possibly dream up something on my own, my roomate suggested tacos and I thought- "you know who makes yummy-looking tacos...?"

I was of course thinking of the lovely Jennifer of Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings blog. I've been drooling over a few of her recipes lately, but the ingredients and timing were right to make Potato and Lentil Tacos (minus the home-made salsa.) I also tried out the avocado cream from a few posts earlier. And ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to announce that both items were a rousing success.

In fact, when my omni roommate saw what was cooking, he decided not to cook the lbs of greasy taco meat he had planned on. :)

I have to say that I'm always a little nervous about lentils. I either make them too mushy or under-cook them, or I under flavor them... its just a mess. But for once I got it right, and the mixture with the onions and jalapenos was flavorful enough on its own that I plan to eat it tomorrow over some leftover lettuce and tomatoes. The potatoes were also awesome. I really under-utilize plain old potatoes- and they can be so good! The whole thing came together really well, and I loved the avocado cream (which was also super-simple.) I can only imagine it was better with the addition of home-made salsa, but I was happy with the store-bought kind too.

So thanks Jennifer! An easy and spicy meal was just what I needed to get me prepped for an all-nighter with my good friends Of Montreal and Understanding Trusts and Estates. And just so you know, the timing you wrote was accurate- minus the salsa the whole think took just under 40 minutes from start to finish. Not bad for such awesome results!

And now... sigh...back to work....