Passover and Easter Hits

Every year around the time I get to Passover I am overwhelmed by mixed feelings. On the one hand, gratitude and joy that I made it through another harsh German/ Belgian/ Serbian winter and can start to feel the sun on my face again. On the other hand, shock that its time to plan another Passover dinner after what feels like approximately 2 weeks. I guess I like this time of year so much that it always seems close.

At any rate, this year I'm in Belgrade (as I may have mentioned) so I'm probably more likely to attend a Seder than to host one. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't! Here are a few hits from Easters and Passover's past that you might find useful in menu planning for your special holiday.

Stuffed Mushrooms- A great appetizer or side, sprinkled with matzoh meal, nooch, or soy cheese.

Roasted Beets with Walnut Garlic Dressing-A toothy, rich dressing which brings simple roasted beets to life. Perfect side for either holiday.

 Brussels Sprouts Hash- Shredded or loosely chopped Brussels sprouts with apples, nuts, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Make a bunch in a giant wok for a tasty side.

Lemongrass Matzoh Ball Soup- I made this broth last year (minus the chicken, obvs) and it was a HUGE hit. Elegant, delicious, and easily made the day before. Plus the video makes it easy to follow. Add some mushrooms for body, and use the vegan matzoh ball recipe of your choice.

Wild Mushroom and Leek Farfel Kugel (sub silken tofu for eggs)

For some reason I can't get this photo to turn around... oh well

Lemon Asparagus Risotto- Perfect Easter main, using the fresh new asparagus of the season. For apps you could do Morrocan spiced carrot dip from V'Con and onion dip (caramlized onions + soy sour cream), then serve this risotto with a side salad topped with diced plums and caramelized fennel (below) and a big carrot cake for dessert. Boom! Done.

For Easter you could also make pierogies from Vegan Brunch! They certainly make any day special, and you can film them with tons of delicious stuffings and serve them with great salads and dips.

Eggplant Potato Moussaka from V'Con is also an excellent choice for either Passover or Easter. I served this last year to general delight.

Egg Free Macaroons are a nice ending to a Passover Seder, with some chocolate dipped strawberries and coffee.

And a fluffy coconut cake is a great ending to a nice Easter! I made Isa's version from Vegan With a Vengeance a few years ago and it was fabulous. (I know, I know, I rely heavily on PPK cookbooks for holidays, but my friends, the high holidays are no time for improvisation in the kitchen.)

For more ideas, mine Epicurious for veganizable gems and instructional videos, check out the Post Punk Kitchen for many priceless recipes, and see my menu page where I have a few examples of complete menus from Holidays past.

Wow, this whole discussion is making me insanely hungry. Think I'm going to go get a falafel wrap and orange carrot juice from the insanely great Schwarma restaurant down the street. Happy holidays!

Song of the Day: Wolf Gang- The King and all his men

Fruska Gora and daily menu

Fruscka Gora

Greetings from sunny Serbia! Here in Belgrade, the weather has turned to Spring literally overnight, and the streets are filled with beautiful girls in bright dresses and handsome boys in crisp white shirts and new haircuts. I must say, the Serbs I have encountered in Belgrade are terribly good looking in a sporty sort of way, totally unlike the lanky hipster paperdolls in Berlin (who are also, actually, pretty bloody attractive in their own way). I guess what I'm saying is, if you are single and looking for a hot tennis player with a country house, try Belgrade, and try Berlin for all of your hot starving artist needs.

Ahem. Using Europe as a boyfriend buffet ASIDE, I am very much enjoying my stay in Belgrade, but a lack of variety in vegan options has led me to eat more or less the same thing day in and day out. As you can imagine, this does not make for very interesting blog posts, however, feast your eyes on THIS:

So here we have my daily lunch, from a local a la carte restaurant that has slightly different offerings every day. The thing in common is that its always simple, good food, and that its INSANELY cheap- less that 2 euros usually. (That's crazy-town.)

So above we have, from clockwise- red beet salad, Serbian cornbread (Proja) which the owners insisted contain no jaja or mleka (eggs or milk) but I'm a little skeptical. Next to that we have pirinac (rice) with leeks and what may be the national dish of Serbia, Prabanac- beans with paprika and other spices. (Sometimes made with bacon or other meat stuffs so ask!) On the side are some simple grilled veggies. I eat this literally every day and I'm not sick of it yet, which either says something about me or the good food on offer.

Anyways, the weekday lunches might be monotonous, but Belgrade itself is city that really knows how to relax in style. The prices are so low in comparison to the rest of Europe that it seems silly not to enjoy the vibrant club scene, enjoy the view from a water-front restaurant, or stay up all night dancing on the tabletops of a local kafana with live folk music.

And I have been doing some of that. But I was also offered the chance this last weekend to head to the Fruška gora (a country area outside of Belgrade known as the Frankish Hills, as Rebecca West says, for a reason far too dull to interest anyone). Now, this area is sort of a wide green valley filled with small country houses, Orthodox monasteries, and acre upon acre of fruit trees. Its special in Serbian history for offering a retreat from Turkish dominated territory, and to this day houses the tombs of many Kings. But I'm no Serb historian, I'm in it for the fruit! We're talking cherries of all seasons, pears, figs, grapes, plums, and all manner of sunflowers, lavender and corn. Its not the season for these yet, but Oh my G-D, it is still so insanely gorgeous.

Here we were in the tail end of winter and the area was still a sight. In the little, elegantly appointed home I stayed at we stayed outside all day and ate bread and apples, played cards, and watched neighbors walk by on horseback. Its truly hard to believe that such a beautiful and seemingly ancient place exists to close to bustling Belgrade, but it does, and if you ever visit Belgrade you would be extremely remiss not to pay this area a visit.

I'm hoping to go back when the fruit trees are full and lie in the fields gorging on cherries in the sunshine! Ugh, doesn't that just sound almost too divine?

song of the day: The Shoes- Time to Dance

Scenes from Serbia

Hotel Moscow on Terazije

Republic Square

Snow wrecked streets, near Slavija

Dobre Dan, comrades! Greetings from Belgrade Serbia, where East meets West and past meets present!

I am serious. I am living a block away from a square where the Turkish invaders used to display the heads of Serbian warriors on spikes centuries ago!  Further along we have buildings that were (quite recently) bombed by NATO, alongside Byzantine, Roman and Turkish ruins, plus statues depicting famous communists, Yugoslavs, and world War 2 heroes. Belgrade has been purportedly been destroyed 40 times throughout history, and yet they didn't manage to remove the evidence of the many phases this city has seen. In this city, the ghosts of the past are always with us. 

A rogue, giant snow storm kept me huddled inside for a majority of the first weeks, eating the various incarnations of cabbage stew offered by my more than gracious hosts. (See below.) But now that the snow has melted I'm starting to venture out to kafanas (old-school cafes) and order the several vegan options- broiled mushrooms with rice, salads, stuffed or pickled peppers, and thick crusted bread. The food here tends to rely on the freshness of the produce rather than on elaborate sauces or herbs.

My daily meal lunch is obtained from a hole-in-the-wall cafeteria down the street from Slavia (a central roundabout.) Here, every day, you can get some form of fried vegetables, rice, and grated beet salad. Occasionally they have peppers stuffed with rice or stuffed cabbage. I can get a ginormous plate of all of this for circa 2 euros, which seems laughably cheap for such big portions and fresh food. As a result, I haven't ventured to test many of the other places in the area.

One way in which I have truly gone native is to start every day with a mug of thick Turkish coffee the consistency of mud.  Every Belgrader has a different method of making it ("the correct way") but my technique works suitably well and I will demonstrate in a future post in case you wish to try it yourself.

All in all, I can't see I'm really comfortably settled in this city yet, and I certainly haven't uncovered the secret to eating regularly and healthily. But I've picked up a few more words, I'm getting lost less often, and the sun is out every day now, and I've bought a bottle of Tabasco, so things are looking up.

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

Turkish Delight

Chestnut seller by Gallata bridge, Istanbul

Ferry ride to Kadikoy

Glorious Hagia Sofia

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Vegan Brazilian Feijoada, quickly

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

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

*****
Brazilliant Feijoada serves 4

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

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

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


Song of the Day: Aguas de Marco- Cibo Matto

Cold Comfort

Winter time, and the living is easy.

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

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

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

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

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

Song of the day: Spandau Ballet- True

Thanksgiving

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

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

Making a wok full of mushroom gravy at the last minute

S getting ready to enjoy his "favorite" American tradition

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

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

SY and me, savoring victory

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

Jetzt shon wieder!? Thanksgiving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Song of the Day: Future Islands- Balance

Fighting the Winter Blues

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

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

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

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

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

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


What are your tips for beating the Winter Blahs?



Song of the Day: Future Islands- Balance

Kale, sweet potato fries, seitan nuggets

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

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

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

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

Okra Gumbo from Heaven

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

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

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

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