Vegan Mofo: Green Goddess Dressing

So I've been on a garlic kick recently (like for the last 18 years or so). However, I am almost never on a salad kick. I don't know why, but salads just don't excite me the way that a good stew or casserole does. However! This is really dumb because I happen to live in a place where truly fancy salad greens like mache, arugula, butter lettuce, endives, ect are all totally commonplace and cheap.

Its kind of like how you can buy a stick of Brussels sprouts at Whole Foods for like $4.99, and a huge bag of them are like $.99 here in Berlin. (Chalk it up to being closer to Brussels, I guess.)

My point is, I should be exploiting this price difference to my advantage and eating my weight in fancy field greens! Yet, I often think of a salad as a pale side to a rich dinner.

Not today though! I've been working my way through Appetite for Reduction (insert obligatory gushing about Isa Chandra Moskowitz here) and she has a whole range of interesting salad dressings to try from. And her garlicky Green Goddess Dressing is truly a thing of beauty. With peppery parsley, creamy tahini and tons of garlic, its enough to even drive my salad-hating hubby to steal from my bowl.

This one is going in the permanent rotation.

Song of the Day: Taylor Swift- We are Never Getting Back Together

Vegan Mofo: Soup and Salad

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

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

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

S, me and his Mom, enjoying the bounty

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

Vegan Mofo: Skills III: Vegan Lasagna

S-Y, enjoying the latest Vegan Mofo skill

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

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

Vegan Skill 3: Make a Kick-Ass Lasagna!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Song of the Day: Bright Eyes- Four Winds

Vegan 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!

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

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

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

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

Summer Asian-Fusion Inspired Grill Menu

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

*****
Spicy Asian Slaw

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

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

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

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

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

Song of the Day: Bob Marley- Sun is shining

A Simple Sexy Valentines Day

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

song of the day: The Cardigans- Lovefool

Christmas in the USA

The Russian Tea Room in NYC

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tyranny of tiny plums

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

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

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

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

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


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

Random Foodage

Its been a busy couple of weeks here in Berlin. Between writing my dissertation, working (or mostly watching work get done) on our new apartment, and watching Germany's AMAZING ascent in the World Cup, there hasn't been a lot of time for more than delicious vegan currywurst from Vegetarian Diner at Goerlitzer Park. However, I did manage to make my Chipotle Plantain Enchiladas once more, this time relying on 3 tbs. of chipotle powder (still delicious) and to pump out some much needed bagels.

Although bagels are becoming more common at specialty stores in Berlin, I still love my Vegan Brunch recipe the most. This time I topped them with a mix of sesame and poppy seeds along with a little paprika. Perfect with avocados and tomatoes for a lunch at the library. :)

Another library lunch winner? Making a variety of leftover-producing little dishes that compliment eachother. I made a quickie beet salad- with chunks of roasted red beets and fresh grapefruit in a dressing made with grapefruit juice and agave nectar. Then, I made a broccoli salad with toasted sesame seeds, reduced orange juice, a little soy sauce, fresh ginger and sesame oil. (Toasted sesame seeds are so tasty! Like popcorn... except miniscule.) And then finally I made a huge batch of red lentils and rice with caramelized onions from V'Con. This was great, but I should have upped the onion content, because that's really where the magic comes from.


And now, back to work!

Song of the Day: The Mary Onettes- Lost

Salad Days and Latkes

Finally, its actually hot enough to be called summer in Berlin! Along with the rising temperature comes late nights and lazy days in the park, and that feeling of not wanting to eat anything too hot or substantial. My latest solution is to make big salads filled with the delicious cherries appearing in Kaiser's. My first try was to combine them with field greens and chopped kohlrabi. (If you don't know what it is, don't be worried: I thought it was fennel and got a strange surprise when it tasted more like a broccoli stalk mixed with jicama.) Yesterday I made an awesome huge salad for S. and I to eat in the park, this one featured cherries, avocado, carrots, field greens, and thin sliced onions tossed in a apple-cider vinegar based dressing. Who knew avocados and cherries went so naturally together? (Oder, "togesser" if you want to sound like a German.)

And even though hot food is a bit of annoyance in this weather, dinner requires something a bit more substantial. And although latkes (or "potato pancakes") are kind of associated with Hannukah season, I figured they are cheap to make and could be at home alongside a salad in the summertime as a light dinner. Not only that, but when you are on a budget its always handy to have a lot of recipes involving potatoes and carrots. Latkes are a little extra effort but scrumptious any time of year.



Here is my basic "recipe," without strict measurements. I want to point out that I omit any real binder here other than flour, but if you've never made them before you might find this a bit tricky. (The traditional recipe uses a few eggs.) I've seen other recipes using cornstarch or egg replacer and I imagine this might be easier for beginners, but if you don't have those ingredients on hand this always works for me!

Potato Carrot Latkes*
1.) Peel 2 carrots and a few potatoes (3-4). Grate them into a bowl using a hand-held grater. Now here comes my innovation: use a potato ricer to squeeze all of the excess liquid out of the grated veggies. This works because they aren't cooked and won't go totally through the ricer, but the pressure is perfect for squeezing out all the juice without using 50 paper towels to do it by hand.
2.) Add to the squeezed and grated veggies a small onion, diced tiny, and an equally tiny diced garlic clove. Toss with liberal salt and pepper.
3.) Sprinkle a good bit of flour and a few dashes cornstarch over the veggies, and mix with your hands. Add in more flour as necessary to coat the entire bowl, not so much that you can see the flour, but enough that you can form a small handful of the mixture into a ball that stays pretty well together.
4.) In a skillet, heat equal parts oil and margarine over medium heat, enough that margarine sizzles but not until oil is smoking. (You can also test a small clump to see if its ready, like you might with pancakes.)
5.) Drop in smallish balls of the veggie mix (about 3 at a time is good) and flatten into a thick disk using a spatula. Cook on first side for about 4 minutes, then flip to cook on other side another 2-3. Each pancake should be crispy and browned, and the time varies from batch to batch so keep an eye on them.
6.) After each set, the oil and margarine should be used up, so clean out any loose browned bits and replace oil and margarine for each new batch. Keep finished latkes in the oven on low heat until ready to serve.
7.) Serve with soy sour cream and applesauce, if ya got it!

*Potatoes and carrots are just the beginning- you can also use sweet potatoes, apples, beets, zuchinni... yum!

Song of the day: Cursive- Hymns for the Heathen

Back on track

La Pasionaria on Avenue de Stalingrad

I'm back! After a bout of bad internet connectivity and the loss of my camera cord, I thought VeganMOFO was going to be more like VeganNO-Fo for me, but now things are relatively straightened out.

And not just with the internet. After weeks of constant stress, I have now basically figured out everything I needed to know, from how to print at the Flemish copy shop, how to order a beer in french, where to find seitan and tempeh and vegan chocolate, and most critically, how to cook without burning my apartment down. (Although that last one took rather more attention then one might think.) Despite constant reminders of my own stupidity, my general outlook is now very sunny. Brussels is beautiful, dirty and bizarre... but certainly filled with amazing food. I don't think I've ever eaten so well in my life! The trick is to not spend all your money on food, which is something I accomplish by shopping the Sunday markets for fruits, veggies, and spices, the organic market just for the most hard-to-find luxuries (since its so expensive) and the corner bodega for everything else.

One thing I've gotten very obsessed with is soy yogurt. They sell it in huge containers at the organic market, and in every flavor under the sun. (Including plum and apricot!) I like to get the plain and cover it in strawberries, puffed quinoa "soufflé" (another amazing discovery) and a drizzle of agave nectar. Another way to use it is my own version of a Waldorf Salad: thinly sliced roasted beets, apples, and carrots with walnuts and a bunch of lemon juice, tossed in yogurt, salt and pepper. I feel like I ought to be sitting at a fancy hotel in the fifties when I eat this, and its also a good way to use up the yogurt since everything here goes bad in about two days. (I guess they don't like preservatives here? So un-American.) The same is true for fruits and vegetables, which I don't really understand. Have they been injecting our strawberries and broccoli with preservatives? Or is my American fridge just stronger?

Either way, I essentially need to empty the contents of my fridge bi-weekly to be able to eat things before they deteriorate, so I've been experimenting with simple-as-possible meals with very few elements. A winner the other day was smoky tempeh and broccoli in some garlic-chili hot sauce. This was one of the meals that nearly set my flat on fire ("smoky" tempeh indeed), but it was still quite good.

And I had missed tempeh so much. It may mean having to go to 3 different grocery stores to stock up on things, but at least I have a routine now.

Song of the Day: Of Montreal- An Eluardian Instance

Bright and tasty!

The last few days have been so completely filled with studying that virtually my only break has been cooking and eating. As a result, I'm making sure that everything I eat is fabulous and cheerful. Its helping me cope... sort of.

Above we have an awesome salad made with what I expect is sort of a bizarre combination to most people... sweet potatoes and beets! (But they're both root veg, sooo...?) I roasted them both in the oven and cut into chunks, then put them over some spinach and topped with walnuts and Jessy's awesome Sweet Orange Miso dressing. The dressing was sooo good, like everything that little ray of sunshine makes! And I was nervous about my weird combo, but it right up my alley- especially with the walnuts, they are a must. But citrus, miso, beets and sweet potatoes are definitely weird-good rather than weird-bad. So, the beet obsession goes on.


Last week, we had a pizza night at my house where everyone basically picked their own topping. I was thrilled to descend from the study cave to top mine with pineapple, bbq sauce, onions, mushrooms, and a little nooch, before running back up to continue. Shortly thereafter, like magic, my delicious pizza was piping hot and ready for me to gobble down before running back, like Gollum, to my precious notecards. My Dad is getting way awesome at homemade crusts, although I want to introduce him to the concept of whole wheat flour.


Another one of my Dad's creations was a stir-fry made with every vegetable in the fridge, plus mock chicken. (Oh, if our ancestors could see us now. 10 years ago my family would have been eating chicken fingers, mac & cheese, and biscuits, and now we're all sitting around watching the Daily Show and noshing on completely vegan fare without complaints.) The sauce was a ginger-sesame oil-soy sauce kinda thing, and on the side we had SUPER-GARLICKY spinach, because that's how we like it, and some really sweet and perfect pineapple. (This must be pineapple season, because every pineapple I've eaten lately has been phenomenal.)

Later in the week I made an attempt to develop some cherry brownies, but I think I went a little overboard on reducing the oil and sugar, because in my opinion they were not nearly gooey enough. When I fix it I'll post the recipe. But in the meantime, they worked in a pinch, and they were pretty!



I also wanted to point you guys to an awesome section exclusively on canning that was in the Washington Post this weekend. There are a ton of recipes and stories about various people's experience with canning. I was really into canning over the fall, when I made fig spread and tomato sauce, but summer is a great time for it too! If you're thinking about it, and ARE NOT studying for any huge exams, I would recommend giving it a shot!

Song of the Day: Bright Eyes- Poison Oak

High Standards

Why is it that when I'm stressed, my reaction is to attempt an entire lifestyle makeover, rather than address the one source of anxiety with calm and focus? Maybe its the same impulse that causes you to clean your room when you have 24 hours until a big paper is due. Or start revising your resume and surfing Monster rather than work on the simple task your boss asked of you.

Well, for whatever reason I got on a real self-improvement kick this weekend, deciding that before the end of the semester, with its attendant heart-attack inducing bar exam stress, I need to accomplish the following adjustments:
- spend (waaay) less money
- lose weight and get exercise regimen back on track
- complete all of my outlines two weeks before finals so that exams will be a breeze
- simultaneously complete all bar exam legwork and applications
- learn german and french (for international law career, of course)
- dress professionally and wear make-up, rather than rolling around like old man in woolen blazer and checkered slip-on vans
- just generally be a successful, self-motivated, healthy individual, rather than sad-sack bed-confined walking-hangover with literally thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt.

Hmm. Well, I've accomplished one goal: spend less money! I've been exploring the concept of leftovers, as well as avoiding my weaknesses- the various delicious restaurants a stone's throw from my house. I even invented a few things, since I've also developed this bizarre laziness that won't let me open a recipe book.

Above we have the luscious Apple-Leek Salad I concocted with the leeks leftover from passover. So simple: Toss spinach and apples in (vegan) green goddess dressing, and top with leeks that have been sauteed in a little EB or olive oil. Ground pepper's nice on top too. I could eat this everyday for lunch...

Next, I used up the rest of the spinach along with a trusty can of chickpeas in a super-quick Curry, with coconut milk, curry powder, turmeric, and fresh ginger and garlic. This one needs some work so I'll post the recipe when its sufficiently improved. But it satisfied my need for mango and coconut (who needs chutney when you have fresh mango?!) so it certainly worked for me.

Still obsessing about mango, and finding myself with half an avocado on hand, I concocted this feast, which, while freakishly bright in the photo, was just about the BEST THING I'VE EVER EATEN. It was so good that I had a fit of existential angst while eating it, knowing that no matter what, I could never duplicate such simple deliciousness for anyone else. *Sob*
At any rate, here's what it was: a can of black beans, sauteed with onions, tomatoes, and cumin, over saffron rice. On the side, fresh mango and (here's one killer) fresh corn off the cob tossed in lime, salt and pepper. And now here's the other killer: Coconut lime cream Guacamole. You will want to try this one. I combined half an avocado and juice from half a lime, along with 2 tablespoons of coconut yogurt (the kind that's entirely coconut milk.) Oh my godfathers was this good. I definitely didn't regret the decision to avoid El Rinconcito for once.

Of course, all of my penny-pinching was thrown in my face as a hideous cosmic joke when I received a $100 parking ticket from the District of Columbia for not removing my borrowed car from the street by 4:01pm. F*ck it. I'm going back to shoveling take-out food into my mouth while lying in bed watching Arrested Development until the sun comes out and stays out, for good.

Song of the Day: Liz Phair- Polyester Bride

Block Rocking Beets

I've been on a kick lately of rediscovering veggies that I used to consider weird and gross. When I first started heading towards vegetarianism about 8 years ago, I was willing to try mildly exotic things (for me, red peppers were exotic) but I had no intention of taking a second look at things like brussels sprouts, lima beans, sprouts, or beets. Now, for some reason, its a thrill to discard my old unadventurous tastes and discover a new love. And I really enjoy mocking my younger brother when he makes a face. Which, come to think of it, is exactly what my parents used to do when I turned my nose up at beets. ("Tastes just like candy!" my Mom used to say.)

Well, I'm snobby no more, and I'm officially in love with beets. The chewy and dense texture, the earthy-sweet flavor, the boatload of folates, manganese and potassium... what's not to love? My Dad bought a sh*tload last week and we've been working our way through them while I take my first crack at finals studyin. The easiest prep is slicing them thinly, tossing with some EVOO and roasting at high temps until the pieces are like chewy beet chips. Tossed with some apples and pecans you don't even need dressing (but it couldn't hurt.)

Of course, I also like the way beets complement caraway seeds and mustard in a dish like the one my Mom made for debate night a few weeks back. My Dad went in another direction for the salad at the top. He was inspired by a Peruvian beet salad he likes at a local restaurant.


Basically, he steamed some potatoes, beets, carrots and onions, and after letting the whole mess cool, tossed it with some oil and red wine vinegar. Super simple, but after a day in the fridge the flavors really "got to know eachother" as he would say, and it was awesome with some simply dressed lettuce. I liked the addition of green onions on top too, for some crunch.

I've also been crushing some brussels sprouts lately, but I keep eating them right out of the oven like popcorn before taking a picture. Am I a major dork for feeling like a bad-ass for liking unpopular vegetables? ;)

Oh, and I hope everyone loved their Thanksgiving dinner! Mine was decent but not the most vegan-friendly fare... but I've got some holidays left, so you just wait and see if I don't make that seitan roulade.

Cupcakes and Heartbreak Salad

When your relationship ends, the whole world comes to a stop. Minutes seem like days and its hard to believe that you will ever want to listen to music, read a book, or eat anything that doesn't come out of a box again. However, if you can drag yourself out of bed and away from the Jameson's, its possible that some sifting, chopping, and mixing could cheer you a little.

Well, it did for me. Just a little.

The cupcakes I made for a friend's birthday party which she conveniently held at my bar. They're both from VCTOTW. On the left we have the gingerbread cupcakes topped with lemon cream-cheese icing, and on the right the strawberry tallcakes (a variation on my favorite chocolate cherry cream cupcakes. While the tallcakes were good and very pretty, the gingerbread cupcakes were INSANE. Kind of spicy and slightly salty, topped with the most fabulous icing I have ever had, vegan or not. My roomate was furious with me when I polished off the last of those two babies.

Seriously, try them. Its always nice to be the one bringing cupcakes to the party. :)

After the rush of the weekend, I was still (understandably, I think) pretty miserable. On a whim I stopped into Wholefoods, vaguely planning to get something from the to-go section. But walking through the produce aisle, inspiration struck. Some bright and ripened mangos caught my eye, reminding me of all the mango trees in Cuba and what a wonderful thing it is to reach up and grab a juicy piece of fruit when its hot outside. Some avacado and fresh corn got tossed in, reminding me of a delicious guacamole they have at a restaurant in Atlanta that I commonly frequented when I was single. Some fresh cucumbers and tomatoes so red they made me smile. And finally, some wasabi dressing- to wake me up and work magic with the avacado.



So I chopped up all the veggie, sliced off the corn kernals, cubed the mango and avacado, and tossed it all the with dressing. (Actually, I made enough for two servings and squeezed some lemon on one so it would keep for the next day.) Maybe its not the prettiest picture, but believe me. This salad is magic. The entire time I ate it, the sun was shining in the window and all my favorite food memories were popping in my head. I couldn't think about the break-up for even one bite. Now that's a good salad. I highly recommend it next time you find yourself eyeing the boxed mashed potatoes and cookie crisp.

Vegan Valentines Feast!

I just got to wake up Valentines Day and have a chocolate-cherry-creme cupcake! Why, you ask? Because I am waiting tables tonight, and therefore made a Valentines feast for my fam and some friends last night. (My bf, unfortunately, was unavailable.) Amazingly enough, this meal turned out truly great. Seriously. I very rarely concoct a dinner and have everything go off without a hitch, but this really was delicious... not one of the non-vegans had anything left on their plate.

For an appetizer I made little mini heart-shaped pizzas. I used the Joy of Cooking pizza dough recipe I love so much, but divided the dough into four balls, rolled them out, and shaped them vaguely into heart shapes before brushing with EVOO. While the dough had been rising, I roasted two heads of garlic in the oven at 350, and marinated some sliced heirloom tomatoes in EVOO and salt and pepper. When the garlic was all roasted, I squeezed each bit out of its crunchy shell and into a bowl, where it was mashed with a little more EVOO and set aside. Finally, I caramelized a few sliced shallots. (To be fair, I had some time on my hands while the dough was rising to get all this inspiration.) To put it all together, I rubbed the garlic paste onto the pizzas and topped it with the tomatoes, shallots, some sliced roasted peppers (from a jar), and some red pepper flakes. I then cooked it for about 15 minutes at 425. They turned out really flavorful and delicious. This may be my new go-to pizza recipe.

I also made a simple strawberry salad with some spinach, sliced strawberries, hazelnuts, and a homemade dressing recipe I got from Vegetarian Times. I can't find it online right now, so let me just tell you, you combine:
-1/2 c. sliced strawberries
-3 T. Sugar
-3 T. Balsamic Vinegar
-1/2 a shallot
-1 clove garlic
... in a food processor or blender, then slowly add in 1 c. EVOO. The dressing is really creamy and thick, and the balsamic complements the strawberries perfectly.

For the main course, I made an old standby: grilled portabello mushrooms over mashed potatoes with asparagus. The mushrooms were marinated in some steak seasoning, EVOO and soy sauce before grilling and the asparagus were similarly coated in some Earth balance and salt and pepper before going into the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes. To make things EXTRA decadent, i made a "port wine reduction" for the shrooms, which is just a fancy way of saying "boil 3 c. wine in a saucepan until it reduces to a syrup." It was sooooo good over the potatoes too. But be forewarned- it takes longer than you think, so get started way before any grilling occurs.

To finish off, I made my absolute favorite cupcakes from VCTOTW. Since I was in such a hurry to get everything else cooking, I didn't have time to make these as pretty as they were the last time I made them. But trust me, they were still decadent and delicious.

Mmm. Especially for breakfast.

Have a happy Valentines Day!