Pumpkin Chili and White Sage Whip

Pumpkin Chipotle Chili with polenta, yogurt and roasted pumpkin seeds

It comes as no surprise that different cultures have different ideas of what is healthy. In the Balkans, people think strong coffee several times daily is good for the digestion. Turks sprinkle fresh parsley on everything and drink herb teas but are generous with the oil and dairy. And in Germany, many people chain smoke continuously but make sure to buy certified organic produce. I've realized that my specialized quirk as an American is that I think pretty much everything is unhealthy except for vegetables. 

Not that I don't eat sugar, flour, caffeine, alcohol, etc, its just that I make sure to feel guilty while I consume them, like a good American.  Which is pretty much the opposite of my husband, who thinks that everything is healthy except for McDonalds and any form of medicine. (Just trying to get this man to take an aspirin generally leads to a rant about American pharma ending in "pills instead of feelings!")

So when we decided to both try to start eating healthier, I knew this was going to be a piece of cake. Everything I eat is already not a cheeseburger so it should be easy to satisfy his demands. To satisfy his desire for healthy lunch type stuff, we've been cranking out various types of aufstrich- aka, spreads. This white bean, sage, and roasted almond spread ("White Sage Whip") from Hot Knives fit the bill awesomely and is just decadent enough to glam up brown bread and veggies.

As for dinner, my traditional Chili packed with beans and pumpkin and spiked with chocolate, beer and chipotle goes awesomely with (healthy!) polenta and soy yogurt. Its not exactly rabbit food, but neither is it a cheeseburger. (You can find various approximate recipes here and here.)

Hot Knives' White Sage Whip

Song of the Day: Arcade Fire- Reflektor

Resisting Fall

Its truly amazing how the weather in Berlin takes seasons so literally. There doesn't seem to be such a thing as Indian summer here. When summer is over, the sun disappears, people pull out their coats, and the leaves change colors with frightening rapidity. Its hard to remember that just a few weeks ago I was making excuses for not swimming nude in a lake. (Germans love that shit.) Nope, summer is brief and departs suddenly...

And yet, I'm not really ready to start eating (or for that matter, preparing) stews and casseroles again. I'm still in the mood for light and healthy(ish) dinners that make my husband complain. So I've ventured into some roasted vegetables and pumpkins, but haven't fully jumped into Fall yet. Above is a perfect example: a roasted vegetable salad with orange dressing. I simply roasted some beets, pumpkin and mushrooms, then whipped up a dressing of orange juice, agave nectar and white wine vinegar (+salt and pepper and olive oil) to drizzle all over. Perfectly delicious and still not wintry.

Then the other day I had this lovely meal- roasted beets with pumpkin seeds, sauteed spinach with garlic, sesame rice and sliced Asian pear.

Not exactly hearty fare, but then, I have plenty of months for that. #WinterIsComing, folks...


Song of the day: Fiona Apple- Dull Tool

Vegan Mofo: Pumpkin Fries at SY's

I have a friend named SY who is very funny and talented, being equally skilled at feng shui, explaining German culture to beginners, booty dancing, and cooking wonderful food. She also has many nicknames which I like to taunt her with, including "Mamph-Mamph" (German for "yumyum!") and "Sookie Younhouse." (Having never seen True Blood she is less than thrilled with the last one, but tolerates it.)

ANYWAYS. I'm at her house today "working" and she made a lovely lunch centered around a Hokkaido Pumpkin, sliced, drenched in pungent pumpkin oil, and baked, kind of like "Pumpkin Fries".

It was delish and maybe a good idea for mo-foers looking for a way to consume their October pumpkin bounty.

Song of the Day: Against Me! -Thrash Unreal

Mid-Day Dinners

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

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

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!

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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.

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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

Vegan No-Fo

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

Broke Food: Risotto!

One of my favorite scenes in all of movie-dom is from The Little Princess. (Take your pick, but I prefer the Shirley Temple version.) Little Sarah has gone from wealthy and pampered prep school queen to orphan scullery maid, due to the unfortunate disappearance of her Father (and his fortune) during the Boers War. Now she must discard her fabulous clothes and furniture and live up in the freezing attic with the other little maid, while the other girls mock her relentlessly and the mean headmistress tortures her for being poor. (Let's just keep our Marxist analysis to ourselves...)

Then, one particularly freezing and dreary night, while the two little girls are sleeping, the next door neighbor's Indian butler, who has been charmed by little Sarah, replaces the squalor of their attic with a lush bedroom, filled with soft bed-dressing and clothes, a sumptuous buffet, and beautiful paintings. The girls wake up the next morning to think that they have conjured the whole thing through the power of imagination.

I think you can pull a similar trick with risotto. Through pure mind power (read: stirring a lot) you can transform plain old rice and broth into a warming gourmet meal. With the help of an friendly butler (read: mushrooms, squash, or other veggies) you can take it over the top to something truly magical. It really works for me when I am feeling like an orphan scullery maid, which is often these days. (Don't worry, its just finals period.)

So here is my recipe, which I've shared before (many times before), but made as plain and wallet-friendly as possible. I've been eating it so much lately I feel like a risotto making machine, but if its your first time, be vigilant- you don't want to ruin the bottom of your pan by not stirring enough.

Risotto w/ [your favorite and/or cheapest vegetable]
1 large yellow onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
olive oil and/or earth balance
*1 c. white wine
1 cube veg boillon, or packaged veggie broth
Your vegetable of choice, plus an herb of choice

1. [First you will probably want to prepare the vegetable. If its mushrooms, slice and cook together with some thyme or oregano and olive oil in a saute pan until brown and slightly crispy. If using squash of pumpkin, slice in 1/2 and place in a pan in the oven along with some olive oil and sage and cook at 375 until soft. Asparagus can be sauteed or cooked in the oven with some oil and garlic. You get the picture.]
2. Fill a pot with water and boil along with a bouillon cube. Reduce heat to medium. (Alternatively, heat a package of veggie broth over low heat on the stove top.) Keep within reach of your other pot.
3. Melt 1 knob of Earth balance and a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When bubbling add in garlic and onion and cook until translucent.
3. Add in rice and allow to coat with oil and mix with onions and garlic. Salt and Pepper liberally.
4. Add in white wine. (*If you can't afford wine like me, substitute two tablespoons of plain vinegar or white wine vinegar.) Stir until just absorbed.
5. Ladle in about a cup of the heated broth, stirring until absorbed by the rice. Repeat this step over and over again, ladling and stirring, until rice is no longer crunchy and coated in a thick creamy sauce.
6. At this point, add back in your cooked veggie, salt and pepper liberally, stir, reduce heat to low and cover. Serve with warm bread and a crispy salad.

Suggestions for combos:

Butternut squash and sage

Lemon and Asparagus (add in a bit of lemon juice and zest when you add in the cooked asparagus.)

Mushroom and Leek with thyme, my personal favorite.

I suspect one can stretch this recipe into new territories, like using beets, fake cheese, or non-italian flavorings. However, even minus the veggies this is pretty awesome comfort food, and the only thing you really have to buy is the rice. Ah, cheap, classic, kitchen magic. "Because every little girl cook is a princess."

Song of the Day: Neko Case- This Tornado Loves You

Good luck with Bad luck

(Obligatory Brussels Photo: Grand Platz!)

I'm always amazed at how people can continue to latch on to the belief that people are inherently bad, selfish animals. Sure, you can find plenty of evil things that people do, but they so dim in comparison to the incredibly good things that people do, for no apparent benefit to themselves.

Take the other day. I'm on the bus, and this girl in the seat across from me leaves her cellphone without noticing. The girl sitting next to her, leaps off the bus, and runs down the street to return it to her. In the process, the bus doors close, leaving her to wait for the next bus 15-20 minutes later. Most remarkably, this girl just smiled and shrugged when the doors closed in her face! Just to be nice, she missed her stop and added another wait to her, no doubt, busy morning. I love people.

A similarly bizarre kind thing happened to me the other day, when I was approached by someone who recognized me from my drivers license photo and handed back my wallet! The money was gone, but the documents and identity cards were all intact! Its so amazing how the initial tragedy- losing the wallet, is completely out-shined by the random act of kindness that followed it.

My friend Kat said that I evidently have "good luck with bad luck", and I couldn't agree more! She also made me this amazing pumpkin soup that somehow, magically, lasted me a week when I was dying without my money access cards. There are more recipes for pumpkin soup out there than anything, but this one was basically pumpkin, potatoes, shallots, soy creamer, and veggie bouillon. It was, needless to say, simple and amazing!

When I finally got my money back, I got more good luck: I finally found some black beans! You wouldn't think this would be such a triumph, but I've really been dying for them and they are, evidently, very rare in these parts. I cooked them up with some hot sauce, onions and tomatoes, and served them in a tortilla with sauteed mushrooms and corn with some lime yogurt and avocados. I was literally in heaven. Certainly the first thing I will do upon return to the US is pig out on the freely-available Mexican food!

But still, even with all the good luck, the food expenses here are killing me. I've been eating a lot of witch-sauce, rice, couscous, lentils... I need to get back into strategizing a healthy diet with a shoe-string budget. No more avacados and eggplant for me, its back to basics! But then, restrictions can be good for your creativity as well... Wish me more good luck!

More black beans: chipotle black beans and red quinoa
More pumpkin:Kabocha, Eggplant, and Mushroom Stir-Fry
More Mushrooms: Creamy Mushroom and Leek Risotto


Song of the Day: The Clash- Career Opportunities

Pumpkin Pancakes

I'm right in the middle of massive amounts of work, but I decided to make a fabulous dinner to cheer myself up a bit. Since I'm going to have to pull an all-nighter, breakfast for dinner was a no-brainer.

I also wanted to incorporate some pumpkin, since I've been drooling over everyone's fall-appropriate feasts the last few days. And the most absolutely perfect recipe awaited me over at Tofu and Sprouts. These pancakes were made with egg replacer, which I generally avoid (for no particular reason other than expense.) They were not only fabulously pumpkin-y, but just the most beautiful vegan pancakes I've ever made! They were fluffy and flawless. I cannot even tell you how much my mood improved sinking into these babies, accompanied by some maple syrup, earth balance, gimme lean sausage and apples. I even had some apple cider on the side! Now, staying up all night seems almost intentional. :) Well, almost.

The fantastic recipe can be found here.

Song of the night: The Smiths- The Headmaster Ritual

Kabocha, Eggplant and Mushroom Stir-Fry

There is nothing more amusing than the food combinations that other people find appealing. Today I was sitting with my friend Karen and after drinking some blackberry tea (and bitching/ rhapsodizing about boys) we decided we were a little hungry. So she waltzes into the kitchen and returns with the following: yellow spanish rice, salted edamame with lemon juice, apple sauce, and cheddar cheese chunks. WTF? I was cracking up.

My friend Bri would have preferred a spoonful of cottage cheese and spoonful of peanut better, directly out of the containers. Sebastian would just have cup after cup of coffee and hand-rolled cigarettes, and widen his eyes at the suggestion of something as bourgeois as a "snack." My roomate M. prefers french bread slices spread with nutella and strawberries (especially when her boyfriend makes it). Can you tell anything about a person by what they choose to snack on?

Me? I like potato chips and chocolate soymilk... but don't make me pour it into a glass, because that would ruin it.

At any rate, I was still giggling at Karen's little feast when I came home to make dinner for myself. I thought up a combo that was also a little strange to my thinking, but it worked out deliciously! Sweet, earthy, a little spicy.. How great when disparate elements come together to make something harmonious... a lot like my friends and I, come to think of it.


Kabocha Squash, Eggplant and Mushroom Stir-Fry*

(Serves 4)
-1 Onion, diced
-1/2 T fresh ginger, chopped and crushed with a knife
-1 Small Kabocha Squash, Seeded, peeled and diced into 1" cubes
-1 Graffiti Eggplant, sliced and quartered
-A handful of mushrooms, sliced
-1 1/2 T Mirin
-1 1/2 T Soy sauce or braggs
-salt and 1/2 T red pepper flakes (or to taste)
-Sprinkle of sesame seeds

1. After preparing veggies, heat 1 T of oil in a wok over Med-Low heat. Add in onions, ginger and squash. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until onion are transclucent. Add an optional pinch of brown sugar and cover for 4 more minutes (to steam the squash.)
2. Raise heat to Medium and add in eggplant and mushrooms. Stir fry until veggies are softened and browned. Add in mirin, soy sauce, salt and red pepper flakes. Turn up heat and cook 1-2 more minutes. Serve hot over brown rice.

*Tofu would be nice in this too, I bet.

Song of the Day: The Extraordinaires- "Wings over Siros Island"

More pumpkins!

I know I've been harping on pumpkins a little too much lately, but still- they're so good! And seasonal!

Anyways, the Washington Post has an interesting article about the resurgence of pumpkin in a culinary (rather than decorative) context, along with two yummy looking recipes: one of which is vegan and the other of which is vegan if you sub vegetable broth for chicken broth. Enjoy.

Consider the Pumpkin, But Not for Your Porch

Pumpkin Soup

Sometimes the best vegan recipes come from non-vegans. After all, there are plenty of dishes that are just incidentally meat and dairy free that are intended as side dishes. But Rachael from Fresh Approach Cooking has an excellent habit of making vegetables the centerpiece of her creative meals.

(Incidentally, I actually think I would have a huge crush on this woman if I ever met her. She's an awesome cook, blogger, and photographer, and she calls her readers "peaches!" LOVE!)

Anyways, I tried out her "Morrocan Pumpkin Soup" the other day and it was scrumptious. Particularly with a couple pieces of whole wheat toast and a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds. Here's the recipe, and below some links to some of my other favorite recipes by her.
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Morrocan Pumpkin Soup

2 15 oz. cans pumpkin
2 T. vegetable oil
1 large onion, minced (I did this in the Cuisinart)
6 cups vegetable stock
2 15 oz cans chick peas, with liquid
2 T tomato paste
pinch of cayenne
smaller pinch of nutmeg
cilantro or parsley for garnish

Saute the onion in the oil, until tender.

Combine the onion, squash, broth, liquid from garbanzo beans and one can of the beans. Heat a few minutes, then puree. This is best done with an immersion blender.

Add tomato paste, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Add remaining garbanzo beans, garnish with cilantro and serve.

[I upped the spices considerably when I made it, and added some ginger and garam masala. Totally depends on taste.]

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Other awesome recipes from Fresh Approach:

Carrot Cashew Cream Pasta
*Tried this the other day and it was way awesomer than I expected.

Spicy Mushroom Tamales

Eggplant, Pumpkin , and Tofu in Garlic Sauce

Green Beans w/ Ginger Tomato Chutney