Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup

Yesterday, on the way home from language school I encountered the most enormous sweet potato I have ever seen. Being the thrifty girl that I am, I thought I should just pass her by (süßkartoffels are feminine in German*) and proceed to my standby lentils and rice for dinner, but somehow my lust for fall food got the better of me and I brought her home. But then, as so often happens when you bring an attractive stranger home, I didn't have any idea what to do with her. I delicately introduced the idea of a soup, but then thought it might be a bit vanilla. But then I remembered that sweet potatoes love coconut milk and curry.... and some lentils might go in for health and depth.

I ended up with the this perfect fall soup, a sweet and spicy way to please an enormous sweet potato (and I still have half of her left for tomorrow!)

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Curried Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

1 tbs. oil
2 Cloves Garlic, diced
1 Heaping Tbs. diced ginger
1 small onion, diced
1 small (tiny) dried chile, crushed. (optional)
1/4 tsp. Turmeric
1/4 tsp. Cumin
1 and 1/2 Tsp. Curry powder
1 Med. Sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks (about 2 C.)
1/2 C. red lentils, rinsed
3 C. Water + 1 cube veg bouillon (or 3 C. veg broth)
1/3 C. coconut milk

1. Heat oil over med heat in a medium soup pot. Add in garlic, ginger, optional chile and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, being careful not to burn garlic.
2. Add in sweet potato and Turmeric, Cumin, and Curry powder, plus a healthy pinch of salt. Cook a few minutes more (browning sweet potatoes) then add in lentils and stir to coat.
3. Add in water and veg bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and lentils are soft. Add a bit more water if too thick for your tastes (lentils absorb a lot of the liquid.)
4. Remove from heat. Blend mixture with an immersion blender, leaving half chunky if preferred. Taste and adjust spices.
5. Gently stir in coconut milk and return to heat. Simmer another 10 minutes or until ready to serve.

Serves 2 for dinner, 4 for a starter
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*The way that everything is gendered in German leads to strange sentences, where a child, being neutral, is referred to as "it", and a sweet potato, being feminine, is "her". So you could conceivably say, "Can it (the child) bring her (the sweet potato) to me?"

Song of the day: Celia Cruz- La Vida es un Carnaval

Viva Vegan!

Although I hail from the DC metro area and not, say, Guadalajara, the home cooking in my neck of the woods is often distinctly Latin inspired. DC has a huge Latino population, and in my neighborhood in particular you can get chipotles for pennies, at least five different kinds of tortillas at the local Giant, and plantains at all stages of ripeness any time of year. As a result, I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to Latin American cooking. So imagine my snobby annoyance that I have to scour Berlin for a measly can of cooked black beans. And you can forget about corn tortillas or chipotles. (I have to rely on my parents care packages for those.)

So imagine how thrilled I was to see that Terry Hope Romero, of PPK and Veganomicon fame, has come out with a new cookbook packed with DIY methods for my favorite Latino dishes, plus tons of things I had never dared dream of after going vegan (like Tres Leches cake!!!). Of course, I had to have it. And naturally, Viva Vegan, is amazing. (I had little doubt.) Some of the recipes seem rather intensive, but so worth the effort. I never really thought about it before, but Latin American cooking is actually such a natural fit for vegans. Its always rich in veg favorites like tomatoes, beans, and corn, plus it can be spicy and filling without relying entirely on dairy or protein for heartiness. It substitutes innovative cooking techniques for quick fatty fixes. And although its not a stretch to veganize dishes like guacamole or tortillas, Romero really goes the distance with a range of dishes that I haven't tried before, like hearty stews and sandwiches, as well as tamales, empanadas, pupusas and enchiladas. (oh, yeah, and flan. That's right. Flan.)

I tried the Venezuelan black beans, citrus tofu, and garlic rice the other night (with some cashew sour cream) and it magically attracted the whole neighborhood, to my dismay. (I had plans for leftovers...) It was all amazing, even given my less than stellar tofu supply. The garlic rice was especially surprising, since I kind of thought rice wasn't really in need of improvement. (I was wrong.) The black beans were mild and a little sweet and really flavorful- totally worth the wait.

Well, I could fawn some more but I think you get the picture. Terry Hope Romero is a high priestess of Vegan cooking and I am thrilled beyond belief that she turned her attention to my favorite home cooking. You can get it here, and I imagine you will be seeing many more of its recipes featured on this here blog.

Song of the day: Jeanette- Por Que Te Vas

More Latin flavor:
-Chipotle Plantain Enchiladas
-Tamales
-Vegan Mole Power
- Mango Avocado Salsa

Austerity Measures: Baking

So you may have heard about the austerity measures introduced in Europe that many are protesting these days- cutbacks on government spending designed to reduce debt. Unfortunately, we are also participating in my household- not just to reduce debt (ha) but because there is no more money to spend. Turns out getting a job isn't as easy as I'd hoped... nevertheless, I am prepared! From a whole year of insanely cheap living in Brussels I have honed my skills for cheapest of the cheap living. And one of my favorite tactics to eat inexpensively but not feel overly deprived is to use lots and lots of flour. Pancakes, bagels, muffins, pierogies, and more can be had majorly on the cheap, especially if you keep a well-stocked pantry leftover from more profitable times. Not to mention when you are making something with dough, you are usually getting something you can eat all week. And of course, baking is also fun. :)

So in the spirit of saving dough through dough, I have 3 recipes to offer (as opposed to the usual none). First, the delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles pictured above are from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar! and the recipe can be found (along with a helpful video) on the Post Punk Kitchen website, here. I'm not usually the biggest cookie person (more Team Cupcake, if you must know) but these were so amazing its ridiculous. They are made with very simple ingredients that you already have and I don't even want to tell you how quickly they disappeared.

Next up, here is a recipe for *slightly healthier* bagels that are a nice treat with peanut butter and bananas, or soy cream cheese.
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Cinnamon Raisin Bagels

-1 packet active yeast
-3.5 Tbs sugar, or sub out 1/2 with agave nectar
-1.5 C. warm water
-2.5 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 C. raisins (or cranberries)
-1.5 C. whole wheat flour
-2.5 C. flour (Europeans: I recommend Type 1050 for bagels)
-2 tsp. salt
-1/2 c. oatmeal flakes

1.) Combine yeast and water in a large bowl and let sit for 5-10 minutes, until starts to bubble.
2.) Add in both kinds of flour, salt, sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. Knead together for 10-15 minutes, using additional flour if necessary, until dough is less sticky but not completely dry, and relatively smooth. (The raisins might want to fight their way out, but stick them back in.)
3.) Drizzle a bit of vegetable oil in a large bowl and place dough inside, flipping to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set somewhere sunny. Let dough rise for at least an hour.
4.) In the meantime, set up your bagel workshop. Here's how it should look: on one side you have a large floured surface that you can roll the bagels on. This is right near the stove top, where you have a large pot filled with water. Then, a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and finally a plate filled with the oatmeal flakes.
5.) So, after an hour, bring the large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and preheat the oven to 400(f) or 200(c). While these items are heating up, you get to form the bagels! Punch the risen dough down and divide into 8 separate balls (for big, huge bagels) or 10 for smaller ones. On your floured surface, roll each piece into a loose ball, flatten a bit in a thick circle, and pierce a hole through the middle using your thumb. Smooth out a bit and place on floured surface.
5.) Now its time to boil the bagels. On one side, you have your floured surface with 8-10 bagels. In the middle you have the boiling water. On the other side, a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Lower bagels (carefully!) two at a time into boiling water, and let boil for about 3 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Remove each with a slotted spoon to cookie sheet and repeat with the next batch. As soon as bagels are cool enough to handle, dip quickly into oatmeal.
6.) When all bagels have been boiled and dipped, place cookie sheet in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on your oven and bagel size.) They should be golden brown and fully raised. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack until ready to eat!

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And finally, here are some lecker muffins bedecked with plum and a hint of ginger that one can enjoy using tiny baby plums or regular sized ones.

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Plum and Ginger Muffins

2 C. Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Tbs. Baking powder
1 Tbs. Soy Flour
1 C. Soymilk
1/4 C. veg oil
Pinch salt
1 C. plums, peeled and diced into small pieces
1 Tbs. Ginger, diced into very small pieces

1.) First, preheat oven to 400(f) or 200(c) and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
2.) Next, deal with your plums. If they are very small plums you don't have to bother peeling them, but for the larger ones go ahead because the peels can be a tiny smidge bitter. Slice in half, remove pit, and chop into smaller chunks.
3.) Peel a large chunk of ginger and dice or grate into very small pieces, a tablespoon's worth. Mix together with plums.
4.) Mix together wet ingredients then sift in dry ingredients. Stir until everything is wet, then add in plums and ginger. Stir until "just mixed" then ladle into muffin tin, filling each cup a little more than halfway. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.


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Hmm, and speaking of baking, time to go take out the next round of bagels...

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

Vegan Pierogi Power

Yes! I finally got around to making the pierogi from Vegan Brunch! Thanks Madame Moskowitz, another winner!

I felt desperate to make them this week because I am currently in a German language class down the street with many different nationalities, including an Australian man, a Korean woman, a Japanese man, and two lovely Polish women. No one, except for me and the Australian, speak a common language, so in order to communicate we have to cling to our tiny bit of German, along with our national stereotypes. For the Japanese man, for instance, this means that teacher constantly asks him about sushi. (I can only imagine how much he loves that.) For the Polish women, this means that they speak German with a charming, rolling accent ("Trrrotsdem, ich will nach Park gehen") and that we end up talking about Pierogi a lot.

Actually, language school in general is rather charming. No one really knows how to say anything complex enough to be snarky or sexual, so we end up talking like kindergardeners all the time, babbling on about whether we prefer swimming to playing soccer, or what our favorite color is, or what we eat in our home country. Of course, this is all conducted in the sort of German that no actual Berliner would even come close to comprehending, but its fun all the same and I feel like I'm making some progress.

At any rate, after discussing pierogi for the 5th time in class, I thought I'd better break out Vegan Brunch and see what all the fuss was about. And, honestly, these are just lovely. If you've been waiting to make them because they seem like a lot of work, well, that's true. But they are so tasty, especially dressed up with some caramelized onions, salt and pepper, and apples (in lieu of apple sauce.) S. and I gobbled them all up and I assured him I would make more soon. (Maybe next time with the sauerkraut and mushroom variation!)


Luckily for you, the recipe is already online! However, you should still get Vegan Brunch, because the pancake and sausage recipes are absolutely iconic.

In the meantime, if you decide to try this at home, I would recommend doing it the first time with a partner, because while it is not difficult, like bagels it can be a bit stressful to master at first, particularly in a tiny kitchen. That way, you won't have to throw out a third of the dough because you knock it over into the compost... like some people I know.

Song of the Day: Best Coast- Boyfriend

A Day at the Mauerpark Flea Market

With the startling re-emergence of good weather in Berlin (but not for long, I fear), we decided to take a trip to the giant flea market at Mauerpark in Prenzlauerberg."Mauerpark" is named after the Berlin wall, which used to run through the area and designate it a large strip of no-go zone, but now it's a large park that holds a weekly flea market full of everything your little heart could desire. We love to go to browse through records, Donald Duck comics, and tons of vintage clothes, as well as to gobble bruschetta and arepas while watching the public kareoke, which always includes a rapturous version of "I did it my way" by an old man with a great voice and self-made German lyrics. All in all, its a great example of something that used to be quite horrible that has altered completely in the new Berlin. Definitely worth a visit.

Gemüsekiste Central

Look at all my purple CSA babies...

So I've still been adjusting to the awesomeness of having a CSA basket delivered (auf Deutsch, gemüsekiste) and how to use up the relatively large bounty between two people. So far, though, its been pretty easy going and my bf is pretty game to try out new things. Last week we had a huge bag of tiny plums, and I recalled from last year's plum cake experiments that Mihl of Seitan is My Motor is the resident tiny-plum expert. Luckily, she has just posted a recipe for slivovice plum compote that fit the ticket perfectly, and I had a bottle of dusty Mirabellen brandy in the cabinet that handily replaced the slivovivovice (or however you spell it.)

Guys, it was so good I wish we got nothing but plums from now on out. I kept on poking my finger in it and spreading it on anything we had around (like a simit, weirdly) but we eventually spooned it over milk-rice (a German kind of rice pudding, with soymilk, natch) and everyone was very happy. Thanks Mihl! You win at life, and plums.

We also had a little issue of disposing of the two(!) huge kohlrabi we got in the basket. Here's a sample conversation:

Me: So, are ever going to eat all that kohrabi?
S: Was?
Me: You know, that weird green vegetable that smells like broccoli?
S: Ach, ja, kohl-raaaah-bee.... hmmmm.... yeah we really should eat those...
Me: Maybe you could like, make some kind of German soup or something?
S: Or you could make some kind of American kohrabi stir-fry oder so?

....BOTH: Or maybe we could just have spaghetti again.

So eventually I won and S. made some soup! I was really impressed, it tasted a bit like broccoli and potato soup, a creamy and perfectly acceptable way to get rid of the bizarre looking vegetable.

If you're looking to get rid of some kohrabi of your own, its basically this: 2 diced kohlrabi and one potato, 1/2 onion, 4 garlic, and plenty of veg broth. Cook until everything is soft, then blend with some soy creamer and salt and pepper to taste. Dunno the exact measurements unfortunately, as it comes from an old German cookbook and I'm not quite there yet with my German. (Soon!)

And so now we've got the box for the next week and I'm looking forward to introducing S. to the joy of beets... And since its already getting cold in Berlin, I imagine we have many more soups in our future.


Song of the day: Interpol- Barricade

Dissertation Days and CSA Food

I've been absent not just from the blogosphere but also from real life the last weeks because I've been working on my Master's Thesis, an exciting exploration of public international law and its impact on....on.....*BANG* Oh sorry, just dozed off on the keyboard. Well let's forget about all that awfulness and focus on the food.

Interestingly, my S. really stepped up to plate as I languished in front of the keyboard for interminable hours, plying me with Club Mate and the occasional beer as well as breaks to watch True Blood and Mad Men. But most importantly, he cooked! Like this nice peanut butter curry with TVP that we found at a local Asian market.

He also fixed up the rice with the remaining nuts and dried fruits in the cupboard, plus some cumin. It was the perfect meal to shovel in my mouth as I worked on the Geneva Convention Chapter.

In addition, we recently signed up for a CSA basket to be delivered weekly, which has so far offered such delights as mirabellen (tiny little yellow plums), rainbow chard, and organic sauerkraut. Who knew this last would be such a delight?


We made a souped-up version of the Dutch hutspot I featured last year (you know, the carrot and potato mash that is cheap and crowd-pleasing). This time, we used potatoes, Sauerkraut, apples and garlic. It may not look like much above, but it was so good- sour, sweet, salty and creamy, and perfect with a crisp salad. Since the winter weather is already kicking into Berlin, this one is a keeper for a filling cold-weather meal.

Best of all, between the sauerkraut, potatoes, and apple, its hard to spend more than 1€ on this meal.

Hutspot Revisited
-5-6 peeled medium potatoes, quarted
-About 1 and 1/2 cups sauerkraut (more or less won't hurt) drained
-1 medium onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, diced
-1 apple, peeled and diced into small cubes
-soy creamer and vegan margarine to taste

1.) Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add in potatoes and drain excess water until just barely covered. Add in sauerkraut on top so it is spread out and covering potatoes. Cover and simmer for 23-30 minutes or until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
2.) Meanwhile, in a saute pan dollop some olive oil and margarine and put on medium low. Saute garlic and onions until soft and translucent, then raise heat to medium and add in apple. Cook 3-5 more minutes until apples and onions start to brown then remove from heat.
3.) When potato mixture is done, drain excess water then salt and pepper to taste. Mash with small amounts of cream and margarine until fairly creamy. Then add in onion-garlic-apple mixture and stir until just mixed. Serve with a big salad and some crusty German bread. Lekker!

Now if I could just figure out what to do with all of this kohlrabi, then the CSA would really be a thrill...

Song of the day: Beach House- Walk in the Park

My blueberry days

Above: half-eaten rooftop brunch featuring blueberry-banana pancakes, brunch potatoes, pretzels, mustard, beer, coffee, apfel shorle, and lots of strange and German non-vegan things... (weisse wurst not pictured, shudder)

Below: another blueberry pie, devoured withing mere minutes of this photo being taken by a pack of hungry houseguests.



Ahh, summer.

Summer Pie Madness

Why, when it is hot enough to melt off my make-up, do I suddenly have the urge to make pies? It is not to please my boyfriend, who is completely indifferent to most sweet things I try to force on him. Its not to get rid of all the extra fruit I have growing in my non-existent orchard. I guess its just because when I look at a peach or carton of blueberries, I instantly envision bubbling fruit surrounded by a sweet flaky crust and topped with some ice cream. Let's just say I have a one-track mind.

However, I do not have the skills to match it. Check out this disaster of a blueberry pie.

Well, it wasn't so bad. The blueberries were lekker. But the crust was not much to see, mainly because I could not master keeping it flaky in such warm weather. I kept re-rolling it, only to find it harder and harder to put it into the pan without it breaking. And then when I did, of course, it was overrun by out-of-control blueberries, so that it was more like some kind of neglected pandowdy or something.

But for the lovely, and tiny, peach pie you see framing either side of the page, I took the great advice of the lovely Urban Vegan and just basically did not mix the dough AT ALL. Just the tiniest bit. And it turned out so lovely! (Her cookbook is just full of such tips, btw.)

I topped it with some quick cashew cream and the whole thing was just marvelous for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Didn't last much longer than that.) I'm also lusting for some cherry pie, but I really need to find someone who likes sweets more than my boyfriend, because I cannot continue to eat these things all by my lonesome. (Not a good reason to break up with him, but I'll be sure to bring it up in some upcoming fight. "You never eat my pies!" I'll scream...)



Song of the Day: My Bloody Valentine- Strawberry Wine

Sweet Corn Risotto and More

Fresh fig and Peanut-butter toast in the backyard... Ah, America!

I tried to eat absolutely everything I can't get my hands on easily in Europe while staying in DC, and I think I nearly succeeded. Most important was sweet corn and vidalia onions, which were so delicious I could have cried. (Is it weird to like onions as much as I do? What happens to you if you eat too many?) I saw a recipe in the Washington Post for sweet corn risotto, so I decided to give it a whirl for an evening when my friend James came over to cram for the bar exam. (Majorly flashback inducing.)

Basically, you do your typical risotto recipe (which I have published on here so many times its crazy) and then at the very end add in 3 ears worth of corn kernels. Stir until corn kernels are plump, then serve, with green onions on top.

I thought it was good, although with such a light addition to the risotto the broth really shines through, so be sure to use a good quality one. In addition, I thought it might benefit from some heirloom tomatoes added in at the last minute. I served them on the side drenched in balsamic and it went together perfectly.

Another great dinner was my standard fare: rice and beans, cinnamon-baked plantains, and avocados. This time I kicked up the rice by adding some orange juice, but other than that it was the same old rice and beans, and they were delicious as ever.

For the plantains, its the same technique as I made for the chipotle plantain enchiladas, except I tossed them in maple syrup along with the cinnamon, salt and pepper, and paprika. These babies cooked up great in about 45 minutes at 375.

I'm sure my parents won't miss me destroying the kitchen for dinner every night, but it was so fun to eat all my favorites. And now its back to Berlin...

Song of the Day: Squeeze- Tempted

Summertime in the USA

Now this is American summer to me: soy hot dogs, grocery store buns, vidalia onions and ketchup. Oh yeah, and 110 degree weather. I'm back in DC for a wedding, but I intend to squeeze a lot of enjoyment out of my visit, particularly since I missed July 4th. I want to ride bikes with my Dad, talk anarchism and art with my little brother, and see movies and cook with my Mom. And after a whole year of heady, strong, luscious German and Belgian beer... I'm ready for some weak-ass Miller Light and Yuengling. :P

I've also been missing having easy access to a grill in Berlin and decided to have an all-grilled dinner for my first night back.

We made grilled corn, generously bedecked with earth balance, salt and pepper. Also grilled slices of sweet potatoes, marinated in lime juice, maple syrup, and mustard (and a little olive oil) that was brushed on during the grilling. And finally kebabs with a line-up of cherry tomatoes, marinated tempeh, and vidalia onion chunks. It was a great and filling meal- and lord how I've missed sweet corn and vidalia onions! I had no idea.


I intend to do a lot more cooking for the brief time I'm home and catch up on all the southern specialties I've been missing, particularly fresh blueberries and (sigh!) kale. Ahhh. Its good to be back.

Song of the Day: Tom Petty- American Girl