Ottoman Express

Beet dip with Za'atar

Lately I've found my culinary tastes dwelling on a particular regional cuisine instead of drifting all over the world as it normally does. It might be easy to describe as Turkish food, but its more accurate to say Ottoman food, or, food created in areas previously encompassed by the Ottoman empire, from Southern Europe to the Middle East. (I should note that for many of this region, its not a particularly cherished historical memory. But it did make for some great culinary-cross pollination.) It means that incredibly vegan-friendly range of food that gets its taste from creatively concentrated vegetables, fresh herbs, and pungent spices. I'm talking the sweet-sharp hit of pureed eggplant, paprika and onion in Balkan Ajvar, the omnipresent fresh mint, parsley and lemon topping Turkish salads, and the smoky paprika-infused oil glistening in a Hungarian paprikash.

Living in Berlin means that all the needed ingredients for this Balkan-Middle Eastern binge is right at my fingertips, and quite inexpensive. (I defy you to find a cheaper source of Za'atar and sumac than my local grocery store.) It also means you can see the persuasive power of this magic region, as Germans here prefer doner kebab to currywurst as their beer companion, and are far too comfortable drinking salted yogurt beverages (Ayran), slurping lentil soup for breakfast, or binging on cups full of mint and bulgar on a fast food break. Which only means that when I serve something with tahini for the fourth time this week, my own German hardly raises an eyebrow.

I've got a couple recipes I want to share when I perfect them (my own versions of Persian crispy rice, Ajvar, Kibbeh, ect.) but for now, here's a few dishes that explain where my tastebuds are -somewhere on the Orient Express, it seems.

Pureed Beet Dip with Za'atar (veganized from Jerusalem)
3-4 red beets
1 garlic clove (or more to taste) 
1 small dried chili/ pinch cayenne pepper / dried chili
1 cup PLAIN soy yogurt
1 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses OR grape syrup (pekmez)
Salt and za'atar

1. Preheat oven to 400F (200C). Rinse off beets and cut off ends. Wrap in tin foil and toss in the oven, cooking for 45 minutes or until easily fork-pierceable.
2. When beets are done and cool to the touch, remove peels with a peeler + your fingers. Roughly chop and throw in the food processor along with roughly chopped garlic, chili and yogurt. Whizz away until smooth, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Fold in syrup, olive oil, and pinches each of za'atar and salt. Taste, and add in more yogurt or spices to taste.

Serve topped with slices green onions and toasted hazelnuts (if desired) with some good toasted bread or pita.

Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Mint and Lemon
I make a veganized combo of this recipe and this recipe, serving it with plenty of extra fresh mint, lemon, and pomegranate seeds. Its hard to mess up something so simple and delicious, and it can be served any time of day but it makes a great breakfast! (Especially with Coca cola for some reason, I know, its weird.)

Megadarra
There are many spellings and versions of this homey rice and lentil dish, but its worth mastering your own because its difficult to find anything else so delicious that can be made so cheaply and with such few ingredients. Be sure to check out alternative preparations, but here's my version.

1 C. Brown or Green Lentils, rinsed 
3-4 medium onions, chopped into half-circles (cut off ends of each peeled onion, slice from end to end, then, laying flat on cutting board, slice through thinly from end to end, producing thing concentric half-circles.)
Olive Oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 C. Basmati Rice, rinsed 
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch each: turmeric, allspice, sugar
2 C. water
Salt and pepper

Plain soy yogurt
Roughly chopped cucumber and mint

1. You will need three cooking vessels: one large sautee pan for caramelizing onions, one small pot for cooking the lentils, and one larger pot for the rice and lentil mixture. To start, fill the smaller pot with cold, salted water and set on to boil. Set the sautee pan on medium heat and drizzle with a good couple tablespoons of olive oil.
2. Once pot of water has reached a boil, add the lentils and reduce to simmer. Cook for 15- 20 minutes, or until lentils are soft and chewy. Drain, and set aside.
3. -in the meantime (while lentils are cooking) we need to caramelize some onions. When your sautee pan is heated to medium heat with plenty of oil, add in the chopped onions and immediately lower heat to lowest setting. Stir frequently, watching for burning, and let cook for some 20-30 minutes, adding in a bit of extra oil or water if necessary because of burning. When done, onions should be brownish tendrils starting to get crispy in places. Using slotted spoon, remove onions to a serving bowl and set aside.
4. Place larger pot from step 1 on medium heat. Add in cumin seeds and toast for circa 1 minute, or until starting to turn brown. Add in a good drizzle of olive oil, then the rice, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice and sugar. Toast rice for a minute with the spices, then add in 2 C. water, and the cooked lentils. Stir, season with salt and pepper, and bring water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for circa 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is cooked.

To serve, scoop a generous serving of lentil rice mixture onto plates and top with plenty of caramelized onions. Serve with a mix of cucumber, yogurt and mint. HEAVEN.

Megadarra, Mujedrah, Mejadra, ect. with cucumber yogurt

For more Ottoman Express inspiration, check out my posts from Budapest, Belgrade, and Istanbul.


Song of the Day: The Preatures- Is this how you feel?

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

Weeknight Delicacies

Don't get me wrong- I definitely don't miss being unemployed. But working sure puts a cramp in one's cooking style. It's one thing to whip up a fabulous dinner when you have all afternoon to putz around, boiling beans, caramelizing onions, or picking up exotic ingredients from lazy walks to the market. Now that I have a moderate level of employment that takes up the better part of a day, its sometimes a struggle to make something for dinner that is not totally half-assed. Luckily, this is where other people's hard work on recipes comes in  handy!

Sweet Potatoes and Onions with Garlicky Tahini Sauce

I just recently got a really lovely new cookbook from Berlin's biggest English bookstore, where I like to spend aimless Saturday's reading England's best-sellers, which include more than a few books about Downton Abbey as well as one too many books about World War II. As far as cookbooks, they usually have a bunch of Jamie bloody Oliver and Nigella Lawson picture books and use the metric system and its just not appealing to me. But this time they had a really huge and gorgeous cookbook called "Jerusalem" from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi and I fell in love. Its not vegetarian, but its packed with vibrant combinations and fresh techniques and quite a few of them would only need some tweaking to make it suitable for vegans. The above recipe, the first one I tried, is broiled sweet potatoes and onions covered with a simple tahini sauce and spices... its pretty much a starter, but it was so delectable that I'm totally thrilled to try to the rest of the recipes, especially when Spring comes and we can get a decent tomato up in this joint.

Manhattan Glam Chowder

Another recipe genius I don't mind exploiting is Isa Chandra (Miss Moskowitz if yr nasty) who has a veritable treasure trove of quick and tasty (yet still exciting) weeknight meals. I've been particularly enjoying her soups lately, and especially those ones imitating fish soups. Last week I tried the Bouillabaisse with Roasted Yellow Squash as well as the Manhattan Glam Chowder from Appetite for Reduction (pictured.) Both rich, tomatoe-y and soul-satisfying, I would recommend both. (The Bouillabaisse was particularly surprising- who knew roasted squash was such a flavor booster? Not I.)

Spaghetti and Bean-balls with nooch

Also from Isa is the famous mock-meatballs "Spaghetti and Beanballs" from V'Con. Never tried this recipe before despite having worn out the book from cover to cover, and discovered it was an easy and crowd-pleasing weeknight supper, especially if you have your own favorite tomato sauce recipe down-pat.

Sweet Potato and Mushroom "Quesadillas"

I also came up with another simple after-work supper- Sweet Potato Quesadillas. This would be as flexible as the ingredients you have on hand. I sauteed some mushrooms, peppers, onions and garlic for a nice sofrito, while boiling a huge sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks. When the sweet potato was fork-pieceable, I drained it and mashed it with a bit of soymilk, margarine, cinnamon and cumin.

To assemble and cook, you preheat an oiled frying pan to medium high heat and throw a tortilla in there. Plop some sweet potatoes in there and spread out a bit from the center, then add in the sofrito. Cover with the next tortilla and press gently to spread out the filling. After a 2-3 minutes, flip and fry on the other side until nicely browned. You could serve this with salsa or sour cream- I served it with smashed avocado and lime.

Domestic dominance and work aptitude? CHECK!

 Song of the Day: Two Door Cinema- What you know

Vegan Mofo: Sweet Potato w/ Apple Corn Salsa

Hey guys! Just a normal Monday night, nothing too exciting but as its Vegan Mofo I will share my simple dinner. This was a baked sweet potato with some garlicky kale and "apple corn salsa" which is actually really good. You just saute some chopped red onion and add in a chopped apple and a handful of corn. Salt and pepper it up, then when everything is well-cooked add in a splash of balsamic vinegar.

The kale was also special because its super-rare in Berlin (at least, as far as I can tell.) I found a stand at the Farmers Market last week selling it so I bought a metric ton and froze it so I can have kale all winter!

Hurrah! Not every day can be exciting. :P

Song of the Day: Nie Mehr- CRo

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

Vegam Mofo: Enchiladas and Tacos

Potato Spinach Enchiladas with Chipotle Sauce

 One of the nice things about having a repetoire of dishes that you've made dozens of times is that , if the dish is flexible enough, you can tweak it to include just about anything. That's how I feel about Enchiladas. I've got this so down that so long as I have some diced tomatoes and tortillas, I can make an enchilada out of just about anything. This week? I used chipotle for spicing up the sauce, and potatoes and spinach for a filler. Topped with a bit of vegan yogurt for cooling and its pure comfort food.

The leftover tortillas I used as a vehicle for using up some of the other veggies hanging out in my kitchen. Acorn squash, baked with some thyme and olive oil makes a nice, mashable base for  a simple sofrito from extra onions and peppers. Garnished with some hot sauce and guacamole and you've got a very serviceable quick and easy Friday dinner after a week of cooking up a storm.

Song of the Day: Metric- Synthetica

Happy Meals

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

Kale, sweet potato fries, seitan nuggets

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.

Vegan Mofo: A Miso to Remember

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: Polenta w/ Plantains and Onions

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: Chipotle BBQ'd Tofu, Polenta w/ Spinach

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- Moving on...

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

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.
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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

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.


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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

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

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

50 Vegan Sandwiches

Every so often the New York 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!

Brussels Sprouts Hash

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